Amateur Naturalism and Technology 2020-2021

The dataset consists of texts by nature enthusiasts on utilising technology in their nature-related hobbies. The data were collected for a study on the impact of technology on people's connection with nature and knowledge of nature. The invitation to write was aimed at all nature enthusiasts who had experiences of or opinions on technology, even if they had not utilised technology in their hobby. The data were collected during the coronavirus pandemic, so some texts also reference COVID-19. The writing guidelines instructed the writers to describe their nature-related hobby and their relationship with mobile technology. The guidelines included questions on, for instance, whether the writers enjoyed being in nature alone or with someone else, how they utilised technology in their hobby, whether they shared pictures of nature on their social media, and whether they wrote about their nature observations online. Additionally, the writers were asked whether technology had inspired them to identify new species or influenced their behaviour in nature. Background information included the writer's gender, age group, and whether they lived in an urban or rural environment. The data were organised into an easy to use HTML version at FSD. The dataset is only available in Finnish.