Development, Reliability, and Validity of the Influences of Digital Technologies on Human Behavior in Public Space Scale Tested by Spatial Design Experts.

Altanlar, Aslı; Aktuğlu Aktan, Esin Özlem; Eren, İbrahim

The widespread use of digital technologies and online social networks causes a shift that has a pronounced impact on public space, public life, and public space design. However, research into this transformation is quite constrained. This study aims to illuminate how digital technologies influence individuals and their behavior in public spaces. A comprehensive conceptual scale was developed in the study to assess the impact of digital technology use on human behavior in public spaces. A structural equation model (SEM) was proposed after testing the scale's construct validity. According to the findings, the factors influencing the scale were social isolation (F1), media influence (F2), placelessness and/or homogeneity (F3), techno-stress-related social anxiety (F4), and digital addiction (F5). The SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) results demonstrated strong relationships among these factors, with digital addiction significantly predicting social isolation (β =.90; p <.01) and placelessness (β =.74; p <.01). The media influence factor had the most substantial effect on techno-stress-related social anxiety. This study contributes significantly to the literature by understanding the influences of digital technologies on public life and adapting public space design to this new reality. The findings also guide prospective studies into the effects of digital technologies in public spaces, offering valuable insights for urban planning, social psychology, architecture, and social sciences research. Plain language summary: How digital technologies affect human behavior in public spaces: A study by spatial design experts Digital technologies and social networks are changing how people use public spaces and how these spaces are designed. Despite this, there has been limited research on this topic. This study explores how digital technologies influence people's behavior in public areas. Researchers developed a detailed scale to measure this impact and tested its accuracy using a structural equation model (SEM). The study identified five key factors: social isolation, media influence, placelessness or sameness, social anxiety from techno-stress, and digital addiction. The results showed strong connections between these factors, with digital addiction leading to higher social isolation and placelessness. Media influence was the biggest cause of social anxiety from techno-stress. This study provides valuable insights into how digital technologies affect public life and offers guidance for future research in urban planning, social psychology, architecture, and social sciences.

PUBLIC spaces; ONLINE social networks; SOCIAL anxiety; HUMAN behavior; SOCIAL psychology; SOCIAL isolation

SAGE Open, 2024, Vol 14, Issue 3, p1

2158-2440

Academic Journal

10.1177/21582440241284589