Digital and Electronic Media Art
Summary
Digital and electronic media art encompasses creative practices that integrate computation, networking and electronic interfaces to generate works ranging from interactive installations and virtual environments to augmented reality projections and generative algorithms. Rooted in early computer‐plotter drawings and video art, it has expanded through developments in real‐time graphics, sensor networks, robotics and artificial intelligence. Key concerns include embodiment and presence in virtual and hybrid spaces; participatory models that turn spectators into co-creators; and the use of data as artistic material. Practitioners have repurposed tools from surveillance, gaming and mobile communications to interrogate social, political and environmental issues, while researchers examine the technical and experiential dimensions of immersive interaction. As a field, digital media art is distinguished by its iterative, versionable works, its real-time responsiveness and its capacity to foreground the code and hardware that underpin contemporary visual culture. Its applications span public art, performance, education and design—offering novel modes of storytelling, community engagement and reflective critique in an increasingly networked world.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Advances in olfactory augmented reality towards future metaverse applications Researchers have demonstrated that integrating scent‐delivery modules into wearable AR headsets can significantly deepen immersion and emotional engagement. By synchronising virtual visual overlays with carefully timed olfactory cues, studies report measurable gains in user attention, memory retention and sense of presence during complex interactive tasks. This multisensory paradigm suggests a path beyond conventional visual-auditory AR, laying groundwork for future metaverse interfaces that exploit the full range of human sensory channels.
Digital and Electronic Media Art publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in digital and electronic media art across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Augmented reality (AR): A technology that overlays computer‐generated content onto the physical environment, enabling real-time interaction.
Virtual reality (VR): A fully immersive digital environment experienced through head-mounted displays and interacting peripherals.
Interactive installation: An artwork that responds to user input—motion, touch or voice—through sensors and computing, creating a dynamic experience.
Generative art: Art created by algorithmic processes, often producing variable outputs based on programmable rules or stochastic systems.
Sensory augmentation: The extension of digital experiences beyond sight and sound to include other senses, such as touch or smell, to heighten immersion.
References
- Advances in olfactory augmented virtual reality towards future metaverse applications. Nature Communications (2024).
- Applications of augmented reality technology in design process. Gamification and Augmented Reality (2024).
- The Effects of Sharing Awareness Cues in Collaborative Mixed Reality. Frontiers in Robotics and AI (2019).
About these summaries
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