UC Davis

Technological advancements have brought about a paradigm shift in how individuals engage with space. In recent years, these concepts of technology and space have become increasingly intertwined, such that changes in one can affect the other, reshaping how people perceive and interact with their sense of place and time. This research explores how contemporary spatial theories can be applied to frame technological practices as socio-spatial constructs. Additionally, it investigates how technology can enhance the learning of spatial concepts and foster critical spatial thinking among young people.The first paper considers how films and novels can be employed to design content for a map-based mobile application (app), with the goal of enhancing the critical spatial thinking of young people. The paper incorporates a review of 25 course syllabi in film and literary geography to establish a spatial framework for designing the content of map-based digital apps. The second paper adopts a user-centered design approach to create a map-based app that incorporates the framework introduced in the first paper. This proposed app uses the movie Chinatown to educate users about environmental justice concepts. The third paper employs spatial concepts from postmodern geography theories, such as Lefebvre’s trilogy of space, to investigate the spatial experiences of individuals in the technological realm of social virtual reality (VR). Given that these virtual spaces aim to replicate real-life experiences, the paper concludes with recommendations for designing more realistic virtual experiences. Together, these papers aim to bridge academic theories within geography scholarship with digital map-based practices, thereby enhancing spatial knowledge and experiences for individuals.