Touching Without Touching: The Paradox of the Digital Age

Abstract

This chapter aims to show the evolution between the different environments in which consumers and products constantly interact: Internet and associated technologies have enabled new ways of interactions through mobile devices such as consumers tend to proceed to purchase without even touching products. Many researches from the 90s along with the development of the Internet have raised the question of the inability to touch in these upcoming environments unless that haptic feedback would be further integrated for consumption usage. Accordingly , this chapter exposes the new consumer journeys through digital interfaces and reviews part of the literature on virtual environments and afferents notions that are virtual and augmented reality to position the new consumers' experience through interfaces as well as the change in consumption habits. This chapter aims to show the evolution between the different environments in which consumers and products constantly interact: Internet and associated technologies have enabled new ways of interactions through