Heritage values, digital storytelling, and heritage communication: the exploration of cultural heritage sites in virtual environments

Cultural heritage communication (CHCom) refers to the transfer of values that underlie heritage attributes and settings to intended audiences. Emerging digital storytelling approaches combined with advanced technologies can advance the dissemination and interpretation of information on heritage sites, particularly the intangible values essential to conveying the multifaceted complexity of sites in virtual environments. However, the holistic integration of layered heritage values into digital storytelling in heritage experience design for virtual environments remains underexplored. The present study therefore examined value-based digital storytelling as an effective CHCom method and the improvement of visitors' recognition and contextualization of heritage values. To this end, the research addressed the communication of the diverse sociocultural significance of Seonamsa Temple of Korea as the venue of interest. The findings suggest that value-based digital storytelling helps reveal interconnected sociocultural values beyond built environments and supports the formulation of strategies for deepening visitors' heritage interpretation.