Abstract
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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | From social butterfly to engaged citizen: urban informatics, social media, ubiquitous computing, and mobile technology to support citizen engagement |
| Editors | Marcus Foth, Laura Forlano, Christine Satchell, Martin Gibbs |
| Place of Publication | Cambridge, U. S. A. |
| Publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press |
| Pages | 297-314 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780262016513 |
| Publication status | Published - 2011 |
Keywords
- urban encounter
- Bluetooth
- pervasive systems
- digital identity
- digital presence