Sensing, projecting and interpreting digital identity through Bluetooth: from anonymous encounters to social engagement

This chapter reports an investigation of people’s use of mobile technologies to explore digital identity and presence in the city. We examine perceptions of the Bluetooth landscape through two studies in the city of Bath: a laboratory study using data captured from Bluetooth devices in the city, and a field-based intervention. We apply “digitally augmented” methods for spatial observation and analysis combining Bluetooth scanning with conventional observational and analytical techniques. We also apply an intervention method based on sensing and projecting Bluetooth names in public. We present findings on people’s perception and interpretation of others’ Bluetooth names from the lab-based study, and describe our observations of people’s reaction to the projection of their “digital identity” in public. We note the importance of constructing socially meaningful relations between people mediated by these technologies.