Virtual changes in real places: Understanding the role of place attachment in augmented reality adoption

Augmented reality (AR) technology has the potential to transform how individuals interact with real-world environments, offering individuals the unique capability to induce virtual changes in a place. In two studies (N_total = 2305), we investigated the relationship between place attachment and willingness to use different types of AR applications: informative (focused on providing information about the place's past and future) and transformative (altering the appearance of a place or the way it is used). We used different measures of place attachment, distinguished by the personal significance attributed to the place. We found that traditional place attachment and place dependence were negatively correlated with willingness to use informative AR applications; the opposite relationship was observed for active place attachment and place identity. Transformative AR applications were more accepted by individuals with high active place attachment; however, we did not observe the expected negative relationship between traditional place attachment and this type of AR. Our study is the first to show how various forms of attachment shape willingness to implement virtual alterations in real locations, offering a preliminary understanding of whether these changes are perceived as positive or negative.