The increasing sensory richness of digitally-mediated experience

Journal article

Digital interfaces were once sensorially sparse. Contemporary technologies have changed this dramatically, expanding the sensory richness of digital interfaces across visual, auditory, haptic, olfactory, and even gustatory modalities, collectively narrowing the perceptual gap between digital and physical worlds. We present findings from a growing, multidisciplinary body of evidence examining how these evolving sensory affordances shape individuals' perceptions, judgments, and behaviors. We conclude by offering a selection of future research directions with particular attention to those whose implications extend beyond any single sensory channel into more fundamental questions about human experience.

Authors: Hadi, R; Zhang, T; Latifi, K

• Publication status: Accepted
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Journal: Current Opinion in Psychology
• Acceptance date: 2026-09-14
• EISSN: 2352-2518
• ISSN: 2352-250X
• Language: English
• Keywords: presence; digital experience; sensory perception; tech-mediated interaction; immersive technology; extended reality; haptic feedback