This study establishes and applies a cognitive–emotional–spatial framework to examine young people’s perceptions of cultural heritage on digital platforms, with Shuhe Ancient Town as the case. Drawing on user-generated content from Weibo, Xiaohongshu, and Ctrip, the research integrates thematic clustering, sentiment analysis, and spatial modelling to build a multi-dimensional cross-platform database. Findings reveal a dual structure in youth perceptions: social platforms highlight identity and emotional expression, while transactional platforms emphasise functional attributes and satisfaction. Although sentiment is overall positive, authenticity and immersive experiences act as key triggers for deeper emotions, anchored in nodes and boundaries that sustain dwelling and attachment. These results delineate a recursive mechanism that extends place attachment theory through a digital mediation pathway and exposes tensions with authorised heritage discourse. Methodologically, the study demonstrates the value of cross-platform comparison, and practically, it offers guidance for heritage landscape design and participatory governance attentive to younger generations.
Chen et al. (Mon,) studied this question.