Usage of "Itadakimasu" for digital objects

Question

Here it reads :

As we mentioned earlier, itadaku means "to receive" or "to accept." But it's not a direct translation of the concept in English. There are certain situations where it's best not to use itadakimasu.

Here's your general rule of thumb:

You can use itadaku when you're offered an actual physical thing. It’s like you are saying, "I’ll take it," in a polite way.

Gloves, video games, tire irons, wigs, replacement basketball nets, you name it. If it's a physical object being offered to you, you can use itadaku to receive it.

Don't use itadakimasu to receive non-physical things.

Is a digital object (a file sent via email) considered as a physical object?

In other words, when I receive a file via email and need to express my gratitude ("Thanks for sending me this file") can I use いただきます?

For instance :

ドキュメントをいただきます

Answer 1

ドキュメントをいただきます

We don't really say like that. In this case, we put it after a verb like 先日はドキュメントを送っていただき、ありがとうございました。Basically, we thank for his behavior. As a website you posted says, you can use the syntax noun + いただきます when you actually choose what to take, and it's not when you express your gratitude after receiving something.

I think we can use that syntax with non-physical things, too.

ドキュメントもありますが、そちらも一緒に送付しましょうか?

そうですね、ではドキュメントもいただきたいと思います。

This seems totally fine to me. Note that いただく is our behavior.

Answer 2

I don't think it as tangible vs nontangible. To me it's more like consuming (in a broad sense) vs not consuming.

Many digital objects by their nature may not be consumed - they may be publicly available for download and no single person will consume it (in a way that will render the object unavailable to others then). That would make いただきます less appropriate.

If a digital document has been made specifically for you (or your team of people), it may be appropriate to to say Xさんからドキュメントをいただきました。 Or if you have been offered a virtual Amazon gift card that can be consumed, you can accept it by saying ありがとうございます。いただきます。

However, I can see why someone might advice you not to use いただきます for digital objects, because the criterion can often be a good enough proxy, and easier to use.