Comm 461 Locative Media Curation Project @locativemedia461 - Tumblr Blog

This article explore location as multiple senses of place.

“Shifts in perspective allow a prismatic definition of location and forms layers and tension between multiple possible viewpoints. There are a thousand New Yorks and yet still it is New York. This is what projects utilizing elevation and perspective can now work with in ways currently untapped in the field.

The technology exists to alter data on the ground based on individual gestures (turning, direction change, shifts in location) the same is true for above the ground. This allows GPS based data to trigger above locations and at different altitudes. The shifts in scale, in semiotics, in totality and inclusion in the sense of the amount of space accessed at once; these are all factors to be quantified into shifts in sound, scope of data and narrative of data/history and are ultimately as malleable as is one’s gaze and position in a 3 dimensional space.”

Location has long been seen as a specific area, a static geographical point with latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates. Locative media broadens the consideration of location. Mapping and spatial representation have been and continue to be influenced by location-based technologies because they allow mobile users to connect to local spaces by navigating, coordinating, and communicating with others depending on their physical distance to each other. Users have the power to view the world through different interfaces (Google Maps, Google Earth, Yelp, Ingress, etc.) and also have the ability to attach their own digital information to locations. Location is now more than its geographical coordinates. The attachment of digital information to spaces and the large number of mobile map interfaces allows people to navigate and interpret the world in new ways.

#locative media #space #place #location #mapping #spatiality

locativemedia461

Defining Location-Based Services and Locative Media

When I first started researching locative media and the discourse surrounding it, I had a lot of trouble finding a clear definition. Even Wikipedia’s definition was confusing and not straightforward at all (usually when I have trouble grasping a concept, I go to Wikipedia for a clear answer (even though I’m never allowed to cite it as a source in school)). Luckily, I stumbled across the BackBone Magazine blog titled “Defining Location-Based Services and Locative Media.” Golden. Ansell (the author) states that:

“Locative media and location-based services are digital media applications, normally delivered via a mobile device connected to the Internet, that use the geographic position of the device to deliver geographically relevant content back to the user.”

Like I said, straightforward definition. However, I was still confused about locative media vs. location-based services. Is there a huge difference or is this going to make my research that much more complicated? Fortunately, the article also addresses that. Ansell states that the two terms are used so interchangeably that they are basically synonymous. She says that the term “locative media” is used more by communication and media scholars while “location-based services” imply a service framework that is consistent with computer science and thus used more by developers and industry.

She also goes on to say that there is a need for consistent terminology among developers, marketers, scholars and users. I definitely agree with this. I don’t think there is a consistent term yet because locative media is a relatively new concept that came about with the rise up the smartphone. As more research is done regarding locative media, I think that the term will become more consistent and also more integrated into public discourse.

Basically, this article helped me out a lot. I initially got the gist of locative media (obviously it had something to do with our smartphones being able to pinpoint our location) but I wanted a precise definition. Backbone did it for me.

Written by Ronald Lenz

This is a really long article but it gave me a good technological explanation of the background of locative media. The technological background of locative media can be referred to as “location-aware computing.” Location-aware computing is a field where the location of people and things can be used by machines to derive contextual information with which to enhance and assist users.

The article goes on to say that there are two ways to acquire context using information technology: requiring the user to specify it or by monitoring users and computer-based activity. For example, people can provide their location in instant messages (active user) or it can be detected by sensors (beacons) (passive users).

#Locative media #technological background

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Telenav, Inc. is a wireless location-based services company that provides services including GPS satellite navigation, local search, automotive navigation solutions, and mobile advertising. It provides a location-based platform with services consisting of map and navigation platform, and advertising delivery platform. I thought it was interesting to read about Telenav because usually when I read about locative media the articles talk about apps. Telenav isn’t an app; it’s literally a location-based services company.

#telenav inc - (nasdaq:tnav)#locative media

locativemedia461

AppTV- honestly, this is a rather cheesy video. However, it gives several examples of location-based apps. Location-based app content is vast; it comprises categories such as news, social media, personal communication, entertainment, gaming, maps, directions and navigation, reviews, weather, and more.

Below is a list of a few of the apps featured in this video. All of them are location-based aka they need to be able to pinpoint the user’s location so that the user can benefit from the service that the app offers.

Google Maps can show you where you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going. The easy-to-use features allow you to plug in your location and destination, select your mode of transportation, and the route is all mapped out for you.

Yelp can help you search for places to eat, shop, drink, relax, and play. Gives you a list or map interface with all of the restaurants. On the interface, each restaurant gives you the price range, average rating, and tells you whether it is open or closed. It also provides you with photos, reviews and phone numbers. You don’t have to click into other websites to get the information you need.

AroundMe: quick, uses your GPS to do the thinking for you, free app, can find ATM, gas station, pub, anything around you

SitorSquat: location that finds public restrooms near you dependent upon your location (have ratings and photos)

Rocket Taxi: 16 countries, 10,000 cities, 27,000 cab companies; acts as a GPS to find the taxi company closest to you; can do currency conversion if you are in a different country, shows you ratings

FlightTrack: gives you information about your flight, your airports, delays and cancellations

HearPlanet: will tell you about nearby attractions and will give you information from Wikipedia depending on your location

locativemedia461

This is a blog post sponsored by the Social Science for Social Media Research Center at the Institute for Public Relations. Toward the end of 2014, I had t

The authors of this article define location-based services in a way more directly associated with advertising (in comparison to the definition by Backbone blog).

“Location-based services can be defined as a social, entertainment or information services that enable a company to reach and engage with its audience through tools and platforms that capture the geographic location of the audience. The delivery mechanisms used for LBS include mobile internet, mobile applications, short message service, text messaging, multimedia messaging service, services using GPS, indoor location services, digital out-of-home, digital out-of-home, digital signage, print media, and television.”

To sum up the article, we are living in an increasingly mobile world where every person, place, and thing will be “real-time” geo-addressable or tagged unless individuals specifically “opt out.” That kind of world allows companies to create both one-to-one and one-to-many messages in the context of geo-relationships.

Key word of the article: “opt.” Location-based services can only be effective (for both the consumer and the company, advertising firm, etc.) if the user chooses to opt-in. If people feel the incentive to opt-in to a location-based service they will receive more relevant value, messages, and offers. It will also benefit the marketers and sellers because it will enable them to collect information about the consumers (demographic, preferences, purchase habits) which will allow them to deliver better content to the consumers and will bolster their business.

locativemedia461

A recent survey from Skyhook Wireless revealed the major reasons users are hesitant to use location services in mobile apps.

In a survey of 1,000 mobile users focused on consumer opinion surrounding location-based services and apps on mobile devices, the results indicted that 83% of users say location services are vital to an app but about 40% of users hesitate to share their location data due to privacy concerns.

Understandably, many smartphone users are nervous about the potential negative implications that they could come across by revealing their personal location data through locative media. Many consumers do not enable location services on their mobile devices because they are concerned about who could get ahold of their data. Users’ fears range from governmental and corporate invasions of privacy to collateral and social invasions of privacy.

It’s important that consumers are adequately informed about the retention of their location data. However, they can’t always be sure about which location-based entities are trustworthy and which are not. It’s the job of the location-based services and technologies to inform their mobile users about the exact reasons why their app needs to be able to pinpoint the users’ locations in order to perform properly. When the notification pops up on my phone that asks permission to use location for the app, it should also tell me exactly why my location is necessary for the app to work. There needs to be incentive, benefits, and understanding for the users to be able to trust the apps enough to disclose their location.

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As consumers spend more time on their mobile devices, marketing campaigns are following suit. Mobile ad spend continues to lag mobile time spent, providing an opportunity for creative marketers.

In-app advertising can generate high engagement rates, especially with video. Location-based apps and beacons offer additional data that can enhance targeting capabilities.

#locative media #location based apps

An in-depth compilation on smartphone and tablet usage and adoption to inform your mobile marketing strategy in 2016.

One of the most imperative parts of locative media is the mobile aspect. Locative media is a rapidly growing necessity for the mobile user experience. Mobile digital media time in the U.S. is now significantly higher at 51% than desktop media time at 42%. Users are all about mobility. This link provides a lot of different statistics and charts and graphs (like the ones shown above) demonstrating how big mobility is. Locative media and mobility go hand in hand; locative media uses mobile technologies (GPS, laptops, tablets, mobile phones) because these devices are portable and more accessible to move around and pinpoint users’ locations.

#mobile #locative media

Adriana de Souza e Silva

For some reason I don’t think this link will post properly so I am posting it again here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17450101.2010.510332

Adriana de Souza e Silva has published several articles in Mobile Media and Communication journals regarding locative media and location-aware mobile technologies. I think it’s worth writing a little spiel about her work because she does such a good job explaining locative media from different approaches (historical, social, spatial, etc.)

She starts off by talking about the rise of mobile telephony in the beginning of the 21st century. People freaked out (and continue to freak out) about people paying too much attention to their phones and being mentally absent in the world and environment around them. She points out how locative media can actually help strengthen people’s connections to their surrounding space, rather than removing people from it. Location-based apps such as location-based mobile games, mobile annotation projects, and locative audio walks all are examples of this. The mobile user is not talking on the phone to a person physically absent, they are using their mobile device to engage with their surrounding environment. I thought that this was a really interesting point. I constantly hear people talk about how my generation and the generations below me are way too obsessed with their mobile devices. I agree with this, however I think that de Souza e Silva makes a very good point. Locative media truly does push users to engage with their surroundings. The main aspect of location-based apps is that it requires the users’ location. Take Yelp for example. The user goes on the app, allows Yelp to pinpoint their location, and navigates through Yelp’s map interface to explore their surroundings (find a restaurant, grocery store, boutique, etc.).

Furthermore, she goes on to talk about how smartphones are able to locate things so precisely due to the combination of GPS, triangulation of waves and wi-fi. They are capable of running apps that translate this location-awareness into useful services (navigation, locating the nearest ATM, locating a friend in your vicinity, checking public transportation updates, etc.). She says there are social implications of using location-aware mobile technologies in public spaces and that these issues can be categorized into three themes: privacy, sociability, and spatiality.

Privacy: public concerns about top-down surveillance from the government and corporations, public concerns about collateral surveillance from peers and other users

Sociability: location-based social networks change practices of coordination and communication in public spaces. It’s possible that the awareness of other people’s locations will influence social norms in public spaces and the configuration of social networks (again, locative media is a newer term so there is not enough research yet).

Spatiality: shift in our perception of space. She states that the ability to move around physical spaces connected to the internet and consequently to other people via mobile technologies is the base for the creation of hybrid spaces. Users can now attach digital information to spaces using location-based services; this allows people to navigate and interpret the world in new ways.

She closes by saying that as smartphones become the norm, so will location awareness. I totally agree with this. It’s insane how important smartphones are. They’re so integrated into our lives. This started in the early 2000s. I have a feeling that, like de Souza e Silva stated, location awareness will integrate more and more into the public eye and our lives, becoming a norm.

#adriana de souza e silva #locative media #spatiality #sociability #privacy

A recent survey from Skyhook Wireless revealed the major reasons users are hesitant to use location services in mobile apps.

In a survey of 1,000 mobile users focused on consumer opinion surrounding location-based services and apps on mobile devices, the results indicted that 83% of users say location services are vital to an app but about 40% of users hesitate to share their location data due to privacy concerns.

Understandably, many smartphone users are nervous about the potential negative implications that they could come across by revealing their personal location data through locative media. Many consumers do not enable location services on their mobile devices because they are concerned about who could get ahold of their data. Users’ fears range from governmental and corporate invasions of privacy to collateral and social invasions of privacy.

It’s important that consumers are adequately informed about the retention of their location data. However, they can’t always be sure about which location-based entities are trustworthy and which are not. It’s the job of the location-based services and technologies to inform their mobile users about the exact reasons why their app needs to be able to pinpoint the users’ locations in order to perform properly. When the notification pops up on my phone that asks permission to use location for the app, it should also tell me exactly why my location is necessary for the app to work. There needs to be incentive, benefits, and understanding for the users to be able to trust the apps enough to disclose their location.

#locative media #privacy #privacy stigma #mobile

This is a blog post sponsored by the Social Science for Social Media Research Center at the Institute for Public Relations. Toward the end of 2014, I had t

The authors of this article define location-based services in a way more directly associated with advertising (in comparison to the definition by Backbone blog).

“Location-based services can be defined as a social, entertainment or information services that enable a company to reach and engage with its audience through tools and platforms that capture the geographic location of the audience. The delivery mechanisms used for LBS include mobile internet, mobile applications, short message service, text messaging, multimedia messaging service, services using GPS, indoor location services, digital out-of-home, digital out-of-home, digital signage, print media, and television.”

To sum up the article, we are living in an increasingly mobile world where every person, place, and thing will be “real-time” geo-addressable or tagged unless individuals specifically “opt out.” That kind of world allows companies to create both one-to-one and one-to-many messages in the context of geo-relationships.

Key word of the article: “opt.” Location-based services can only be effective (for both the consumer and the company, advertising firm, etc.) if the user chooses to opt-in. If people feel the incentive to opt-in to a location-based service they will receive more relevant value, messages, and offers. It will also benefit the marketers and sellers because it will enable them to collect information about the consumers (demographic, preferences, purchase habits) which will allow them to deliver better content to the consumers and will bolster their business.

#instituteforpr #location based services #locative media #definition