Paper short abstract:

The paper develops a double faced understanding of geo-localisation. It parallels orientation and socio-spatial constructions in geographical spaces with constructions of locality in virtual environments. It will discuss the changes of spatial orientation and the social construction of places today that come up with the informational enrichment of spaces through geo-localisation systems and other media technologies.

Paper long abstract:

The paper here proposed follows an understanding of geo-localization that is double faced. On the one hand geo-localization is seen as a digital infrastructure that is installed to provide people with information of various kinds about the place right where they are or where they want to go. In this character it can be and it is mingled already with other media technologies like for example mobile phones or the internet, which opens up a variety of applications for this technology. Navigation systems or digital city guides are just two examples for the new usages coming up with these technologies. They give way to novel forms of orientation in spaces and even more of the perception of socio-spatial qualities by installing additional information at these places. Local places are thus more and more informational enriched in a hypertext mode and modified into augmented realities. On the other side a more metaphorical understanding of geo-localization is developed by studying the construction of locality as it is done in the virtual three-dimensional-environments Second Life. Here geographies and orientation are re-configured virtually but still refer intensely to actual locality and geographic spaces.

By paralleling geo-localization practices in actual socio-spatial environments with the principles of constructing locality and orientation in a virtual world this paper will study the effects of the informational enrichment of spaces we experience today through geo-localizaton technology. It will discuss the changes of spatial orientation and the social construction of places today.