A Thesis Topic

Mapping the Past: The role interactivity plays in digital tourism

Research Question: Do interactives play a large role in online guided tours? 

To promote interconnectivity I would like to introduce an online guided tour for the 100th year anniversary of Camp Kawanhee, connecting those who cannot be at the reunion to the camp, and promoting the historic milestone that the area is celebrating. The online guided tour would be centered on a map, providing a useful way for individuals to move about the space, and recognize areas from the past. The map would enable the experiencer to be taken through a digital tour, that allows visitors to look through photographs, audio, and archival material in the hopes of simulating an experience that reminds them of camp life. The map would look at both the past and present in an effort to simulate changes made over time. My research question centers on how these interactives play a large role in digital tourism, and how the material presented makes a strong personal connection between the “visitor” and the digital space, creating a more authentic and impactful experience.

Still Thinking...

Hello All, 

I’m still a little unsure about a topic for my thesis. I have a couple of ideas in mind, and hope to officially pick my topic by the end of the week!

My first idea and the one I’m focusing on right now is a guided interactive experience. The camp I interned at over the summer is celebrating its 100th anniversary and I would love to do an interactive map for the event that would take individuals around the camp and blend past and present spaces. When I was at the camp I initially thought I could do something similar to this on a brochure but quickly realized that I needed a bigger space to work with. I would love visitors to be able to touch a specific place on the map, and see archival material about that particular spot, and connect it to their own memories. In an ideal world there would already be a software that I could work off of and I could build my map this way. I’ve started to contact individuals about my idea and we will see where that leads. 

If this idea does not work out I’d love to work on a topic that surrounds the theme of grassroots activism and how this might be inserted into the museum, allowing those who come into the space to engage with the project and maybe even add to it or become involved. I would love to find a local museum or library who might be working on a similar project to see how they implemented their ideas and how this might have impacted the surrounding communities.