User perception and emotions towards navigation in nature: A text mining study on Reddit comments

The aim of this study is to examine user perceptions of nature navigation applications on the Reddit platform. To achieve this, data collected from Reddit was analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative analysis was conducted to support the quantitative findings and identify main themes, employing a phenomenological research design to explore the phenomenon of “Reddit users’ perceptions of navigation applications for finding directions in nature.” In the quantitative analysis, NRC and VADER sentiment analyses were performed, followed by correlation analysis to identify relationships between emotions and sentiment classification was carried out using various machine learning models. The research reveals that users highlight security risks arising from map errors and navigation inaccuracies. Inconsistencies in difficulty level assessments suggest that some trails may be dangerous for inexperienced users and the importance of traditional map and compass usage is emphasized. While applications provide practical access for short hikes, topographic maps are preferred for longer hikes and offline usage is observed to offer a significant safety advantage. Additionally, the destruction caused by unauthorized routes in nature is noted and it is suggested that this issue needs to be controlled. Users find subscription systems expensive and complex, opting to search for free alternatives rather than paying for premium features. In challenging trails, due to map accuracy issues and slow GPS responses, users prefer additional navigation tools. Finally, it is noted that map updates are insufficient.