The analog use of digital trails –Walking practices along the French shores in the digital era

Abstract

Studies on walking activities aim mainly to categorize and understand their related commodity consumption, but rarely consider the effect of digital tool use, which is becoming increasingly widespread among the French population. The objective of the study is to analyze practitioners’ use of digital tools on walking trails which provide sources of digital information. To do so, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted along two digital coastal trails (n = 589). Results show that 39% of respondents use digital devices during their visit, mainly for digital maps, geo-localization, itinerary tracking, and as cameras. Significant differences exist between walkers who visit the site for the first time, and those who already have previous experience of it. Visitors show little interest in information about the walking activities and the sites visited, and they practically never share their experiences on social media.

Les études sur les activités pédestres visent principalement la catégorisation et compréhension de leurs consommations marchandes, mais elles tiennent rarement compte de l’effet du l’utilisation des équipements nomades qui devient de plus en plus répandue parmi les Français. L’objectif de l’étude est d’analyser l’utilisation des outils numériques des pratiquants sur les sentiers pédestres équipés des sources d’informations numériques. Une enquête par questionnaire a été réalisée sur deux sentiers numériques littoraux (n = 589). Selon les résultats, 39 % utilisent des appareils numériques lors de la visite : principalement cartes numériques, localisation, suivi de l’itinéraire et appareil photo. Des différences significatives existent entre les randonneurs qui visitent le site pour la première fois et ceux qui ont déjà une expérience préalable. Les visiteurs montrent un très faible intérêt pour les informations sur des activités pédestres et les sites visités. Ils ne partagent pratiquement jamais leurs expériences sur les réseaux sociaux.

Keywords:

• walking activities
• coastal sites
• coastal trails
• digital consumption
• digital trails

Mots clés:

• activités pédestres
• littoral
• sentiers côtiers
• consommation numérique
• sentiers numériques

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. More than half of the French mention participating in recreational walking activities and another quarter of the population walks as a “means of transport.” This represents two out of the three most popular physical activities for the French, while recreational swimming comes second in the list. Source: https://injep.fr/publication/les-chiffres-cles-du-sport-2017/.

2. “Baromètre du numérique” of CRÉDOC (Center de Recherche pour l’Étude et l’Observation des Conditions de Vie), the [French] research center for the study and observation of living conditions.

3. The development of the territory and that of nature sports go hand in hand. The site acts as a catalyst or influences the organization of the activities taking place in the area and, therefore, changes constantly. The site is not seen as a neutral bearer of development: its particularities become the driving force behind the territorial development.

4. CRÉDOC (Center de Recherche pour l’Étude et l’Observation des Conditions de Vie), the [French] research center for the study and observation of living conditions.

5. S.I.M.P.E. (Syndicat Intercommunal pour la Protection du Massif de l’Estérel (S.I.P.M.E.), Association of Municipalities for the Protection of the Massif de l’Estérel.

6. According to visitor surveys, there are more visitors to the sites during the weekends, even though the day of the week is not the only determining factor in the number of visits (S.I.M.P.E., 2018).

7. Grande Randonnée (GR) 34 (in French), part of a European long-distance footpath network.

8. Source: www.baiedesaintbrieuc.com.

9. As observed on the official website of the Tourist Office of Saint-Brieuc: http://www.baiedesaintbrieuc.com (retrieved on 29 January 2021).

10. Source: https://www.esterel-cotedazur.com (retrieved on 17 September 2020).

11. Source: https://www.esterel-cotedazur.com/en/discover (retrieved on 4 February 2021).

12. Our sampling meets the conditions of these tests (#1 an independent variable and 1 dependent variable, #2 independence of observations, #3 a sufficiently wide sample). Where the number of observations was below the expected frequency (minimum 5), we have excluded the results.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.