Embracing the digital landscape: enriching the concept of sense of place in the digital age

It has recently been observed growing connections between space, place, and digital environments, highlighting that information and communication technology (ICT) is reshaping people's experiences with space and place. The debate regarding the relationship between space, place, and technology can be traced back to 1998 when geographer Graham published “The End of Geography or the Explosion of Place? Conceptualizing Space, Place, and Information Technology” in Progress in Human Geography. In the context of the remarkable growth of ICT over the past two decades, Ash et al. have coined the term “digital turn of geography” to summarize the transformative impact of ICT on the field. This can be observed in four levels: geographies through the digital, geographies produced by the digital, and geographies of the digital. The notion of “sense of place” stands prominently acknowledged as a cornerstone in human geography, swiftly capturing attention and integration within various social science disciplines. It refers to the subjective and emotional attachment that individuals or communities develop toward a particular place, based on their experiences, memories, and perceptions of that place. With the increasing attention to ICT in geography and the growing influence of the digital era, there is a need to reconsider the concept of the sense of place from a digital perspective. In this context, it becomes crucial to explore and discuss how ICT, especially digital media, has influenced, mediated, or even created a sense of place. The advent of digital technologies has revolutionized how people experience and engage with places. Virtual reality, social media platforms, online mapping, and other digital tools have expanded the possibilities for individuals to connect with places both physically and virtually. On this basis, this research aims to reconceptualize and expand the notion of the sense of place within the context of digital transformation. This addresses the current significance of digital media as a vital platform for the production of human geography knowledge in recent years. Simultaneously, it establishes a conceptual framework for understanding the place experience of new digital media and forms an integrated and inclusive analytical approach for analyzing the sense of place by examining the knowledge context of digital media technology and place experience. Finally, this research delved into a thorough discussion on how to further apply the concept of sense of place in existing practices, offering insights and guidance from four perspectives: intelligent urban planning and management, community development and public space creation, tourism marketing and destination promotion, and immigration and daily life. We believe this way of thinking will be useful for researchers and government managers to understand human-place interaction and place experience in a more cutting-edge and inclusive way, and can bring valuable insights into the complex interplay between technology, human-place interaction, and the construction of a sense of place in the digital age.

The paper reviews foundational theories of place and sense of place, tracing roots to phenomenology (Bachelard, Eliade) and Heidegger’s concept of dwelling, and their development in human geography through Tuan and Relph, where cultural meaning transforms space into place. Subsequent operationalization (e.g., place attachment) enabled applications across environmental protection, migration, leisure/tourism, and planning, and diffusion beyond geography. Modernization/globalization intensified tensions between space and place, with critiques of homogenization and “placelessness” (Relph) and landscape features such as Disneyfication, museumization, futurization, and rural urbanization. Meyrowitz analyzed media’s impact on place experience. Alternative perspectives emphasized power and social relations (Harvey) and Massey’s “Global Sense of Place,” positing place as open, networked, and processual, compatible with locality. The literature also covers the emergence of digital/virtual spaces with ICT and the “digital turn” in geography. Communication geography integrates media theory, positioning media, space, and place relations as processual (Adams’s four quadrants). Empirical work shows digital media enriching place information, identity, and participation, while also potentially homogenizing places. Spatial media and location-based services transformed engagements with place (Farrelly; McQuire’s ubiquity, location awareness, real-time feedback, integration; Humphreys; Saker & Evans). The metaverse extends beyond online/virtual spaces by mediating and blending real spaces, enabling perceivable virtual places and community attachments (Relph), while also raising concerns about blurring realities and digital disorientation. This body of literature motivates reconceptualizing sense of place to include physical, digital, and hybrid dimensions.

This is a conceptual and integrative study that proceeds by: (1) reviewing historical and contemporary debates on space, place, and ICT to establish the theoretical context; (2) synthesizing insights from human geography, communication/media studies, and digital geographies to analyze how digital media and technologies mediate experiences of place; (3) proposing an exploratory three-dimensional conceptual framework of sense of place—physical, digital, and hybrid—grounded in relational perspectives; and (4) exploring practical applications of the reconceptualized concept in intelligent urban planning and management, community/public space development, tourism marketing and destination promotion, and immigration/daily life. No empirical datasets were generated or analyzed.

- Digital media and ICT are reshaping experiences of space and place, necessitating a reconceptualization of sense of place that explicitly includes digital and hybrid dimensions. - The paper proposes a three-part framework: (1) Physical sense of place—formed through direct engagement with physical environments and potentially enhanced or homogenized by media; (2) Digital sense of place—formed in virtual/digital environments via interactions facilitated by internet, social media, VR/AR/MR, and metaverse platforms; (3) Hybrid sense of place—emerges from intertwined digital and physical experiences, with parallel, competitive, or mutually reinforcing attachments. - Spatial media are key mediators of place experience, characterized by ubiquity, location awareness, real-time feedback, and integration, and can orient, anchor, defamiliarize, and extend interactions with place, strengthening identities and participation. - The metaverse adds perceivable, socially rich virtual places that can generate emotional bonds and identities akin to physical places, while also blurring real/virtual boundaries and potentially inducing disorientation. - Practical implications are articulated across four domains: smart city planning/management (human-centered, participatory, data-driven services), community development and public space (coexistence of virtual and physical public spaces, digital platforms for belonging), tourism marketing (VR-enabled experiences, brand-place integration, managing interactions between digital and physical place perceptions), and immigration/daily life (digital networks for inclusion, identity formation, and reconstructing attachments). - The paper flags risks: algorithmic control, unequal spatial power, market/bureaucratic influences in digital placemaking, and potential neglect of public interests when over-relying on digital technologies.

By reframing sense of place to incorporate digital and hybrid forms, the study addresses the need to understand how ICT and spatial media mediate human–place relationships. The framework demonstrates that place attachments no longer arise solely from physical co-presence but also from interactions in digital environments and from their entanglements with physical contexts. This explains observed phenomena such as enhanced local identity via social media, digitally facilitated civic participation, and metaverse-enabled virtual communities. It also clarifies tensions where media can both enrich place experiences (through information, navigation, and cultural display) and erode distinctiveness (through homogenization), and where hybrid experiences may reinforce or compete with physical attachments. The implications show relevance for urban governance, community cohesion, tourism competitiveness, and migrant integration, offering a holistic lens to design interventions that leverage digital-physical synergies while mitigating disorientation and inequality. The discussion situates these insights within broader debates on power and spatial production, urging critical attention to algorithmic mediation and governance in digital placemaking.

The paper argues for a holistic, continuous perspective on sense of place in the digital era, where digital and physical practices co-evolve to produce more inclusive, extensive place experiences. It conceptualizes sense of place with a digital perspective, enriching theory and aiding understanding of everyday life and place experience. The proposed framework informs urban planning, design, and management by leveraging interactions among individuals, technologies, and physical spaces to enhance experiences and support sustainable development. The conclusion also calls for vigilance regarding the spatial and political effects of digital technologies, including algorithmic control, market and bureaucratic power dynamics, unequal access, and potential neglect of public interests in digital placemaking, highlighting the need to balance stakeholder demands and address inequalities.

The article highlights critical limitations and risks tied to digital technologies in placemaking: (1) spatial power dynamics intertwined with market forces and bureaucratic politics may extend into daily life, shaping place experiences; (2) algorithmic systems, VR, and big data can unevenly distribute spatial power, define resources and spaces, and enable differential access based on perceived value; (3) over-reliance on digital technologies in urban placemaking risks sidelining public interests; and (4) the reconceptualized sense of place must navigate complex stakeholder demands and mitigate inequalities arising from digitization. As a conceptual paper without empirical data, future work should empirically examine these dynamics and validate the framework across contexts.