Forest: the ‘Other’ Stadium?
Abstract
This article looks at the trend toward digitalisation and how it is affecting natural spaces, especially forests. How have forest sports activities been affected by the deployment of digitalised equipment? Which activities lend themselves to digitalisation and which seem to resist it?This article presents the findings on the levels and forms of the digitalisation of outdoor sports activities. The study focused on what − given the possibilities of geolocation (GPS) − affects or does not affect the socialisation of the forest and the territorialisation of activities.The study area was made up of all the forest areas of the Rouen Normandy metropolis. In addition to field observations (n≈150), the study used mixed methods, combining a quantitative survey by questionnaire (n=332), the collection of digital traces (n≈1000) left by leisure sports practitioners equipped with tracking devices, and a qualitative investigation through semi-structured interviews (n=10).In the first section of this article, the study area, material, and data collection methods are described, as are the two categories of forest leisure sports practitioners distinguished on the basis of their use of digital technology. Second, the article focuses on a particular profile: hyper-practitioners who use digital technology for measurement and for the exploration of the environment. Last, the results are discussed using a typology that crosses the use of digital technology with regard to motor logic and the perceptions of the forest practice space as an environment or a stadium. This last part will be an opportunity to find commonalities between the forest and mountain areas for leisure practices.
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