Outdoor recreation and digital technology in a per-urban setting: Is technology changing the experience?

Abstract

The emerging research on digital culture indicates that technology is now embedded in our everyday lives through portability, allowing us to be connected at all times for work, personal or recreational purposes. The outdoor recreation literature argues that spending time in natural settings provides opportunity to escape from daily routines as well as opportunity for meaningful social interactions.When considering the rapid development of personal digital devices, it is possible that some of the traditional values associated with participation in outdoor recreation will be challenged. This presentation considers how recreationists in the peri-urban setting of the Port Hills in Christchurch, New Zealand use digital technology and how this use might change their experience of outdoor recreation.