The re-imagining of the geographical tradition in the digital age

Abstract

ABSTRACTAgainst the backdrop of modernity entering its digital stage, theoretical conceptions of the relation between technology and space regard the two as becoming increasingly interlinked. In human geography, such conceptual advances are mainly reflected either in models of globalization as being driven by technological change or in more specific investigations into technologies that have an inherent relation to space and place, such as locative media. The article opens up a geographical perspective on the relation of technology and space by focussing on the micro-level of the everyday use of technology. A framework is proposed that understands the symbolic geographies involved in the everyday interaction with technology as a combination of numeric components (places and networks coded by numbers), deictic expressions and graphics (as in egocentric interfaces sensitive to the user’s location) and common toponyms (established place names). Not only is this model applicable to the example of locative media, it also promises to be transferable to various kinds of complex infrastructure systems (including those for communication and transport) and media technology. The last part of the paper reflects on the apparent renaissance of traditional geographic concepts (such as place, landscape, region or nation state) in the context of digitalized lifeworlds. This can be explained by innovations in interface design enabling both providers and users of technological systems to integrate familiar geographic concepts into interaction language.