PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impact of viewing different types of digital environment images on college students' positive emotions, nature relatedness and environmental preference. This aimed to address the gap in empirical studies regarding the effects of digital environment images on these psychological constructs.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a three-group experimental between-subjects design. Participants (48 undergraduate students) were divided into three groups, each viewing a different set of digital images (nature, city or object). Pre- and posttest measures assessed positive emotions and nature relatedness, whereas environmental preference was measured after image viewing. One-way analysis of variance and post hoc Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) tests were used to analyze the data.FindingsViewing digital nature images elicited significantly higher positive emotions, nature relatedness and environmental preference compared to viewing city or object images. In addition, environmental preference for the digital object group was marginally higher than the city group.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was limited by its relatively small sample size. Although further research is needed to investigate the underlying mechanisms behind the observed effects, this study provides valuable implications for education, economic dimensions and public policy initiatives, encouraging the development of pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that incorporating digital nature images into learning activities can promote positive emotions, nature relatedness and environmental preference among college students. This has implications for the design of digital learning environments, especially for those with limited access to natural environments.Social implicationsBy promoting positive emotions and nature relatedness, digital nature experiences can contribute to emotional well-being and potentially foster pro-environmental behaviors. This can have implications for promoting sustainable lifestyles and environmental conservation efforts.Originality/valueThis study provides original empirical evidence on the impact of viewing digital environment images on several psychological constructs. It highlights the potential of digital nature experiences as a complement to direct nature exposure, particularly for those with limited access to natural environments. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on the benefits of digital nature experiences and have implications for various fields, including education, environmental psychology and human-computer interaction.