c. scott andreas

I’ve been reading a little Baudrillard lately. Pardon this acid trip.

Some have suggested that we’re entering a moment in society in which “the map precedes the territory.” In other words, idealized models of place and space are displacing their physical character.

For an easy example, look at any subway map. Presented as a series of linear stops bearing no relation to the direction the train is headed, we’ve come to understand our cities (or better, unfamiliar ones) as networks connected by roads, transit lines, and bike paths.

We find a similar process at work on the web. The appropriation of spatial metaphors such as “Back,” “Forward,” and “Home” suggests that space and location remain useful categories for orientation, but are divorced from coordinate systems on the net and in networked society.

There is a striking similarity between the function of web and street addresses in a networked culture. When a user requests a site identified by a memorable domain name (example.com), this canonical name is translated into a numerical address denoting an absolute location on the network (208.77.188.166). The route connecting the client with the server is determined based upon the proximity of links between these absolute numerical locations and the cost of their traversal. Once the route is determined, a connection between the two is established and packets begin to flow.

The process of choosing a route from one location to another via automobile or public transit occurs in the same manner. When a user enters a start and destination address into a mapping tool such as Google or Yahoo! Maps, the site converts the canonical address (10 Downing Street) to absolute geographic coordinates (54.162°N 3.647°E). The shortest route linking the two is then calculated based upon available paths, speed, and cost. Both presume that the space traversed (and the one traversing) operates according to the rules of a network.

Moreover, cities built according to grid models are adopting a networked structure as public transit systems and motorways replace distance and direction with networked proximity as criteria for planning routes. Similarly, networks that once lacked the capacity to comprehend “places” are now being taught to organize them. This relationship is synthetic and dynamic, transforming society as well as technology in the process.