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Collection of Graphics on Language and the Internet

Published on
4 Nov 2011
Written by
Scott A. Hale
Update (Nov. 2014): I’ve recently published two papers examining users who contribute content in multiple languages online. Please see Multilinguals and Wikipedia Editing and Global Connectivity and Multilinguals in the Twitter Network for further information and free, open-access copies of the articles.

I learned that it is possible, although not recommended, to teach until 12:30 in Oxford and then have a meeting in central London at 2:00 yesterday. Despite the travel challenges, I was happy to see a number of companies represented at my language session. I wish there had been more space for additional attendees and more time for discussion; however, I hope it was useful for those who attended.

The graphics we used in the language session at mindshare are listed below with links to PDFs and original sources. I’ve skipped analysis of them in this post: that has been done in some cases at the source, but please feel free to post comments or email questions and I’ll do my best to expand on anything.

Mentions of “beer” in various languages across Europe on Google Maps
Source: FloatingSheep

Geo-tagged photos on Flickr
Source: OII Visualization Gallery

Internet Penetration
Source: OII Visualization Gallery

Social Networking Sites over time
Source: Vincos Blog

Links between languages
Sources: Kovas Boguta (Twitter) and Scott Hale (Blogs)

More links between languages
Source: Hale, S. A. (Forthcoming) Net Increase? Cross-lingual Linking in the Blogosphere. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.

User-generated Content on Wikipedia and Google
Sources: OII Visualization Gallery (Wikipedia), OII Visualization Gallery (Google)

Top languages on the Internet
Source: Language Connect

Country code top-level domains and international top level domains
Source: Language Connect

Top news stories on Google News
Source: newsmap.jp Click for a live, interactive version

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