The Psychosocial Reality Of Digital Travel

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.

This book features a collection of high-quality research papers presented at the International Conference on Tourism, Technology and Systems (ICOTTS 2022), held at University of Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile, from 3 to 5 November 2022. The book is divided into two volumes, and it covers the areas of technology in tourism and the tourist experience, generations and technology in tourism, digital marketing applied to tourism and travel, mobile technologies applied to sustainable tourism, information technologies in tourism, digital transformation of tourism business, e-tourism and tourism 2.0, big data and management for travel and tourism, geotagging and tourist mobility, smart destinations, robotics in tourism, and information systems and technologies.

This international case study book provides 28 expertly curated case studies on entrepreneurship and innovation in tourism, each with detailed implementation instructions for the instructor to maximise student participation and learning. The dynamic characteristic of the tourism industry under the influence of micro and macro environment factors requires future professionals to be equipped with appropriate skills and competencies to deal with change and development in real-life practices. Curated and developed by industry experts and practitioners, these case studies embody real-world scenarios with the aim of best preparing students for their future careers. This compelling set of case studies explores the dynamics of entrepreneurship in global context, analyses emerging markets and new business models, and elicits the implications of innovation and entrepreneurship in different contexts and within a transdisciplinary perspective. The cases illustrate innovation and entrepreneurship as an accelerator of tourism growth and development, under a sustainable perspective. With reflective questions throughout to aid both in-class discussion and self-study, this book is an ideal study resource for use in higher and vocational education, and its unique, teaching-led approach positions it as a vital study tool for instructors and students alike.

This book is composed by the papers written in English and accepted for presentation and discussion at The 2023 International Conference on Information Technology & Systems (ICITS'23), held at Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, in Cusco, Peru, between the 24th and the 26th of April 2023. ICIST is a global forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss recent findings and innovations, current trends, professional experiences and challenges of modern information technology and systems research, together with their technological development and applications. The main topics covered are: information and knowledge management; organizational models and information systems; software and systems modelling; software systems, architectures, applications and tools; multimedia systems and applications; computer networks, mobility and pervasive systems; intelligent and decision support systems; big data analytics and applications; human–computer interaction; ethics, computers & security; health informatics; information technologies in education, and Media, Applied Technology and Communication.

As mainstream psychology was never intended for the HCI practitioner, this second edition of A Psychology of User Experience takes the opportunity to create a new chapter specifically written for practitioners, that is, UX-oriented psychology rather than the all-too familiar everyday variety. For example, we discuss our two modes of cognition (fast / slow or controlled / automatic); we underline the importance of familiarity; and how and why we check our phones every few seconds day or night. We also establish the ‘context for user experience’ noting that just about everyone uses a cell phone and very many own a smartphone too and have done so for years (so, how did they learn to use them?). User experience reflects the current vogue for “designing for experience” within HCI which we recognise as something we feel rather than have reasoned about. In the real world, our feelings tell us how we are doing but with UX, they tell us how we feel about using digital technology. Topics are introduced to UX which maybe unfamiliar such as virtual experiences and virtual emotions and the affect associated with the uncontrolled use of digital technology. A Psychology of User Experience stands as a companion text to the author’s HCI Redux text which discusses the contemporary treatment of cognition in human-computer interaction.

The OECD Digital Economy Outlook 2024, Volume 1: Embracing the Technology Frontier provides new insights on key technologies that underpin the digital technology ecosystem and their impacts. Using big data and machine-learning techniques, Volume 1 provides new estimates of the growth rate of the ecosystem’s core – the information and communications technology (ICT) sector.

Digital health is the convergence of digital technologies with health to enhance the efficiency of healthcare delivery and make healthcare more personalized and precise. These technologies generally focus on the development of interconnected health systems to improve the use of computational technologies, smart devices, computational analysis techniques, and communication media to help healthcare professionals and their patients manage illnesses and health risks, as well as promote health and well-being. Digital tools play a central role in the most promising future healthcare innovations and create tremendous opportunities for a more integrated and value-based system along with a stronger focus on patient outcomes, and as such, having access to the latest research findings and progressions is of paramount importance. Digital Therapies in Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Mental Health introduces the latest digital innovations in the mental health field and points out new ways it can be used in patient care while also delving into some of the limits of its application. It presents a comprehensive state-of-the-art approach to digital mental health technologies and practices within the broad confines of psychosocial and mental health practices and also provides a canvas to discuss emerging digital mental health solutions, propelled by the ubiquitous availability of personalized devices and affordable wearable sensors and innovative technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, mobile apps, robots, and intelligent platforms. It is ideal for medical professors and students, researchers, practitioners of healthcare companies, managers, and other professionals where digital health technologies can be used.