This open access book takes a fresh look at the nature of the digital travel experience, at a time when more and more people are engaged in online social interaction, games, and other virtual experiences essentially involving online visits to other places. It examines whether these experiences can seem real to the virtual traveller and, if so, under what conditions and on what grounds. The book unpacks philosophical theories relevant to the feeling of being somewhere, emphasising the importance of perception and being-in-the-world. Notions of place are outlined, based on work in tourism studies, human geography, and other applied social fields, with an aim to investigate how and when different experiences of place arise for the traveller and how these relate to telepresence – the sense of being there in another place through digital media. Findings from recent empirical studies of digital travel are presented, including a survey from which the characteristics of “digital travellers” are identified. A review of selected interactive design trends and possibilities leads to the conclusion, which draws these strands together and looks to the future of this topical and expanding field.
Author(s): Ingvar Tjostheim, John A. Waterworth
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 163
City: Cham
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 Introduction
Why Digital Travel?
The Mind of the Digital Traveller
A Roadmap for the Book
References
2 Being Somewhere
Introduction
The Nature of Experiences, and of Experiences of Other Places
The Philosophy of Perceptual Experience
Four Philosophical Views on the Nature of Perceptual Experiences
The Representational View
Relationism
Enactivism
The Sense-data View
Summary of the Four Theories
Dual Process Theories and Intuitive Judgment
The Spinozan Model of Rapid Acceptance Response
Everyday Activities in the World: Transparency and Embodiment
Heidegger and Modes of Engaging with the World
Transparency
Embodiment
Presence and the Direct Perception Approach
Summary and Conclusions
References
3 Feeling Present in Virtual Environments
Introduction
Conceptualisations of Telepresence: Being Present at a Distance
The Illusion of non-Mediation
Pretending the Digital Is Physical
Experiencing a Convincing Simulated Semblance (of Physical Reality)
Telepresence and Perceptual Illusions
Perception, Imagination and Attention
Presence as the Feeling of Attending to a Surrounding External World
Social Interaction and Affordances for Presence
Interacting with Other People
Activities in Place: The Role of Affordances
Implications For Digital Travel
References
4 Visiting Places
Introduction
Sense of Place
Spaces and Places
Human Geography and Edwards Relph’s Place Theory
Marketing and Hedonic Consumption
Intention to Visit a Place and Word of Mouth
Experiencing Sense of Place in a Virtual Environment
Insights from Non-digital Travel and Tourism
Conclusions
References
5 The Reality of Digital Travel
Introduction
Digital Travel and Sense of Place
The Use of Video Games and Photo-Realism
Creating a Sightseeing Experience in a Video Game
A Virtual Visit to Los Angeles
The Sightseers’ Experience of Telepresence and Sense of Place
Results—Virtual Sightseers Had the Feeling of Being There in the City
Digital Travel Applications—A Survey on Behaviours and Attitudes
Conclusions
References
6 When the Virtual Becomes Real?
Introduction
Recent Innovations in Digital Travel
Social Telepresence Robots and Drones
Immersive VR Approaches and the Use of Holograms
Rethinking Digital Travel
Metaphors and the Blending of Physical-Digital Realities
Reflecting on Our Journey so Far, and Our Plans
References
Index
