Through case studies of Google and Wikipedia, this project examines digital geographies at global, national and urban scales. Specifically, we plan to use methods from computational, social, and geographical sciences to identify and analyse the undesirable effects of contemporary digital geographies. Digital representations of place deeply affect our understanding of the world and our actions in the world, often in ways which are not immediately apparent, and as a result they can amplify existing inequalities and create new ones. Mapping such geographic inequalities allows us to develop understandings of how they matter – and ultimately to develop strategies that can help in the design of more equitable futures.
Professor of Internet Geography
Project role: Principal Investigator
Mark Graham is an economic geographer. His research focuses on digital labour, the gig economy, and digital inequalities. He is the author, most recently, of Feeding the Machine: The Hidden Human Labour Powering AI
Former Data Scientist at the OII
Project role: Researcher
Digital geographer and data scientist. Mass-participation platforms, large-scale data analysis and visualisation, information geographies, social implications of emerging technologies.