Speakers
Description
Social Media Data(SMD) offers an essential approach for the public to acquire the perception of urban space. However, information from social media often gives the public a stereotyped impression of historic districts driven by the development of the current internet celebrity economy and social networks, viewing them as culturally meaningless aesthetic spaces (e.g., photo check-in point, etc.), which leads to a misalignment between the actual cultural values of these districts and how they are perceived by the public. In other words, influenced by SMD, the public tends to pursue superficial visual aesthetics, overlooking the internal cultural values of historic districts. This poses challenges to the preservation and renewal of the historic districts.
Based on this perspective, we focus on “Zhongshan 4th Road”, a typical historic district in Chongqing, China. This district has witnessed many significant events that have influenced the historical development of China, such as the temporary political and command center in World War II. Furthermore, it contains numerous cultural heritages and is considered as a well-known cultural center in this city. However, with the changes of the times and the rapid development of the city, Zhongshan 4th Road is often regarded as an “internet famous check-in spot” on SMD, with its rich cultural values being ignored. Therefore, this research aims to explore the specific differences between social media perceptions (SMPs) and authentic cultural values of the historic district, to examine the impact of social media on shaping identity and spatial regeneration of historic and cultural districts.
In this study, we collect posts and comments related to Zhongshan 4th Road from Chinese social media platforms, including Weibo and Dianping, and conduct thematic analysis to explore public perceptions. Additionally, we review authentic cultural values by integrating official documents and historical records. Comparing the two, Our findings reveal three major features: 1) Cultural Value Misalignment: the SMPs of Zhongshan 4th Road are mostly superficial “visualized” scenes, while the real historical stories of the district and its cultural value are ignored; 2) Functional Misperception: the SMPs of the district's function has been simplified briefly as a sightseeing and a commercial place, rather than a memorial site with historical and educational significance; 3) Spatial Experience Discrepancy: public perception of the spatial layout is fragmented and vague, with visitors tend to pay attention to popular sights under the guidance of SMD, neglecting self-guided exploration, which diminishes the vitality of the district. Our research highlights the profound influence of social media on the preservation and regeneration of historic and cultural districts. We suggest that policymakers and urban planners should give more critical thinking on interactions between urban spatial regeneration and SMD in order to contribute to the safeguarding and appropriate dissemination of cultural values of historic districts.
References
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| Keywords | social media perception;cultural values;safeguarding of cultural heritages;historic district |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
