ИСТИНА

Despite the growing popularity of New Media Art (NMA) among older adolescents, the aesthetic experience (AE) they get when interacting with this kind of art and its influence on their attitudes towards technology remains understudied. The study aims to identify differences in the AE of NMA depending on the frequency of visits to multimedia museums, as well as to identify the contribution of the AE of NMA to a positive attitude towards technology. Hypotheses: (1) the AE of NMA varies depending on the frequency of visits to multimedia museums, (2) the AE of NMA is a predictor of a positive attitude towards technology (technophilia and technorationalism). Research methods. Aesthetic Experience Questionnaire for NMA: this questionnaire includes six subscales, average Cronbach's Alfa for all scales is above 0,80; χ2/df = 2,56; CFI = 0,991; RMSEA = 0,041. Technology Attitude Scale (Soldatova et al., 2021). The first hypothesis was tested on a sample of 461 adolescents (Mage = 17.70, 209 boys, 236 girls), and the second hypothesis was tested on a sample of 227 older adolescents (Mage = 17.70, 52 boys, 175 girls). Main results. ANOVA revealed a significant effect of frequency of visits to multimedia museums on overall AE scores (F = 9.325, p = 0.000). Post hoc comparisons of three groups (no visits in the past year, up to 3 visits, and 3–8 visits) revealed significant differences in AE: those who often visit multimedia museums have higher AE of NMA. The results of regression analysis showed that AE of NMA directly predicts technophilia: β = 0.151, R² = 0.023, p = 0.040 and technorationalism: β = 0.184, t = 2.534, R² = 0.034, p = 0.012. The reverse model was nonsignificant. Conclusion. Visiting multimedia museums enhances the AE of NMA. The AE of NMA fosters a positive attitude towards technology.