In reference back to my previous blog A close reading of Graham et al’s “Toward a study of information geographies” I'd like to delve into the particulars and effects of information geographies.
The geographies of access and enablement directly explore the idea of access to and availabilty of digital access. I'd like to get into the affects of this. With the access and ability to use the above resources comes with the idea of visibility. This begins to allude to the idea of representation and digital visbility.
How accessible are you? Yes, we have access to resources that allow us to join virtual communities but how easily can we be found by others? How is our digital presence portrayed? It's one aspect being able to use digital resources/capital to connect but it is another issue regarding how others can connect with you. Are we visible enough? In the end the biggest question and concern is, do we actually have control over our own visibility in the digital world? This is what I would like to explore.
Isn't the mere thought, that we don't have control over how visible we are in the digital world daunting? Let's take a simple example, Tiktok. I am sure you are aware of its workings and what the app is all about. On this app, you can post your own Tiktoks as either private or public. Private meaning only people who follow you, will be able to see your video and thus public is available for the world to see. If you post publicly your video has the chance to appear and someone's 'For you page'. It is on this page where people can watch videos from anyone on the app who has posted publicly and it is here where your Tiktok presence is made. You do not have any control whatsoever on how many 'For you pages' your video will reach. Tiktok has its own algorithms etc (This article provided an interesting read on this topic) that manage all of this and essentially decide what content will appear on ones 'For you page'. In a nutshell, you have no control over how visible you are on this app.
The same goes for your general digital presence. As much as we can control what we portray and how we do it, our visibilty is in the hands of others. What are the implications of this from a social and ethical viewpoint? Doesn't this give rise to and almost encourage digital inequality? And at the same time the racial, gender and sexuality inequalities that exist? (to name a few)
I'm interested in your thoughts, connect with me on these various platforms. Let's start a discussion.