Image of place as a byproduct of medium: Understanding media and place through case study of Foursquare

The representational mediums of locative media contribute to the construction of identity of a place that is detached from, yet in connection with the physical realm, which is referred to in this paper as Image of place within a medium. Image of place as a concept here is developed within the framework of Lefebvre's ideas of representation of space and spaces of representation and Husserl's inter-subjectivity. By emphasizing the representational aspects of the medium and materializing the concept of Image of place, the paper discusses through the case study of Foursquare, how relocating local knowledge in the virtual – or what Gordon refers to as netlocality – changes the attitude and methods that people initially use to get information about places, which impact on the decisions about visiting those places. The paper argues that by developing an expectation towards places, this image becomes a driving force in the communication between local knowledge emplaced in virtual and physical places. The paper throws light on the increasing significance of representational mediums in connecting with real physical space.

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