The Impact of Online Social Activities on Public Spaces in the Digital Era: A Case Study of Guochuang Park in Nanjing

Abstract

In the digital era, public spaces are not only significant venues for daily recreational experiences in the physical world but also the focus of online social platforms. Social media platforms are increasingly becoming mediums through which the public understands place and culture. Moreover, online social activities significantly alter public lifestyles and the utilization of physical spaces. This study takes the public spaces of Guochuang Park in Nanjing, China as a case study, utilizing user-generated content（UGC） of the Xiaohongshu platform for semantic analysis and image recognition. Combined with field research and interviews, this study investigates how online social activities facilitated by social media platforms change public usage of public spaces and the subsequent impacts on the vitality of these spaces and local culture, and it proposes strategies to cope with these changes.

The research indicates that "photography," "checking-in," and "city walks" are the primary activities conducted by platform users in the streets of Guochuang Park. Social media platforms have shifted some public activities and social interactions online, making physical spaces the backdrop for digital social interaction. Users seek specific angles for photography, upload them to the Xiaohongshu platform, and construct virtual social circles through likes, comments, and shares, thereby enhancing their identity in the "platform society" and continually attracting others, thus increasing the vitality of public spaces.

However, the activities of platform users are often dominated by capitalists and influencers, who establish the modes of participation and aesthetic standards. They utilize platform users to enhance the depiction and representation of space, portraying Guochuang Park on social media as a space that is "Americanized," "trendy," and "retro." Consequently, under the discourse constructed on the Xiaohongshu platform, the industrial historical culture of Guochuang Park is marginalized or even dissolved. External cultures and internet culture increasingly dominate the discourse, transforming the industrial historic district into a space landscape that meets the public's demand for symbolic or heterogeneous photo opportunities. Such superficial and homogenized construction may lead to the district losing its charm for sustainable development.

Therefore, this study calls for attention to the necessity of integrating digital activities with physical public spaces in the planning process, incorporating both online and offline social interactions into urban scenarios to enhance spatial vitality. Furthermore, it advocates for effective guidance and control measures to steer the content of social media and oversee its construction of discourse, preventing the passive dissolution and alienation of local culture and guarding against physical spaces becoming mere appendages to virtual spaces.