Original post by Unknown author on January 22, 2017
While definitely not a new app, in fact Google Maps has now been around for almost 12 years, it and other mapping technologies have changed the way people interact with the world. Especially in its mobile form, Google maps has changed the way we navigate new locations and as a result our interactions with people. Previous navigation was dependent on maps and occasionally stopping to ask for directions. If you wanted to eat somewhere you would ask local people where a good location would be or perhaps just drive till you found a place. Feeling comfortable with navigating an area required you to learn more about it and build a general understanding of its overall layout. With mapping technology you can get step-by-step instructions to your location. It gives alternate routes, indicates high traffic areas and potential detours. If you want to find a place to eat nearby you can pull it up on the map along with reviews. In some ways, Google Maps removes the social aspect of travelling to new places. When discussing the best way to get somewhere with others there often seems to be a sense of pride expressed by those who know the area well. I would suggest that in many ways a person’s sense of identity is tied to where they live and pride is demonstrated in an ability to communicate their knowledge of the area to others. Mobile apps like Google Maps puts this expertise in the hands of everyone. On the flip side Google Maps allows people like myself, who are notoriously bad with directions, to navigate to places with relative ease, although I likely could not get to many of those places again without the map. It also opens up a wealth of knowledge about an area to the user. Smaller restaurants, stores or attractions can become evident as a result of Google Maps drawing in visitors who would otherwise not have known about the location. Whether positive or negative, Google Maps in its mobile form is changing culture.
Some interesting reads
“Google Maps removes the social aspect of travelling to new places”. Your comment reminds me of Week 1’s Mobility Perspectives. Looking back, it seems that the technologies underlying our major media have had inherent social limitations, from the printing press to film, to radio and TV, and most recently to the web (Vogt, 2020). Although David believes that the mobile phone is the first digital medium with “real” social potential… maybe, we are just socializing in a different way.
I recognize that Google Maps is not a new technology by any means, and since this post from three years ago Google Maps has been around for 15 years. I do feel that Google Maps, and other map apps are embedded into Mobile culture and one of the most relied upon technologies of our time. Map apps allows our brain to go onto a form of auto pilot to get us from point A to point B. I was raised with Google maps (Apple maps) to help me drive and therefore never really had to follow directions from a friend. Can anyone comment on learning how to navigate pre google maps technology?
Since Google Maps was realized there have been many other mobile apps that have dived into mapping technology. Waze promises users the fastest route to the destination and now have realized Carpooling in the US. This mobile app will shape our culture as they push for riders and drivers to share the ride and offers benefits to both parties. I wonder, how can mapping technology such as Waze and Carpool change the way we drive in the future, and how will they continue to innovate?