”And that is something that no normal person would search for”: visuell informationssökning via Google Street View för geografispelet GeoGuessr
(2024) ABMM54 20241Division of ALM, Digital Cultures and Publishing Studies
- Abstract
- The purpose of this thesis is to develop knowledge about visual information seeking and how it might be affected by socio-technical circumstances, with its focus on GeoGuessr players’ research through Google Street View. The study asks two research questions: 1. How do GeoGuessr players use Google Street View to do research? and 2. How can Google Street View’s socio-technical circumstances affect this visual information seeking?. Using information practices and socio-technical systems as theoretical frameworks, the study analyzes empirical material gathered from five interviews with GeoGuessr players with experience of doing research, as well as from literature offering critical viewpoints on Google Street View and Google Maps.
The... (More) - The purpose of this thesis is to develop knowledge about visual information seeking and how it might be affected by socio-technical circumstances, with its focus on GeoGuessr players’ research through Google Street View. The study asks two research questions: 1. How do GeoGuessr players use Google Street View to do research? and 2. How can Google Street View’s socio-technical circumstances affect this visual information seeking?. Using information practices and socio-technical systems as theoretical frameworks, the study analyzes empirical material gathered from five interviews with GeoGuessr players with experience of doing research, as well as from literature offering critical viewpoints on Google Street View and Google Maps.
The study has found that GeoGuessr players use Google Street View in the ways that are considered most useful to them and in ways that Google surely did not intend or foresee. These information practices are dependent on the context of the GeoGuessr community as well as the context of Google Street View and its socio-technical circumstances. It is common to research potential clues by inspecting a large number of locations and thereby mapping the occurrence of the visual phenomenon. Importantly, information sharing is common within the community and this affects what information other players might seek. Google Street View’s socio-technical circumstances may affect GeoGuessr players’ information seeking in at least three ways: 1. what images actually exist, considering the varied amount of Google Street View coverage around the world; 2. what these images look like and what knowledge can be derived from them; and 3. the features that are – or aren’t – offered on Google Street View and Google Maps. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9153921
- author
- Wallén, Gabriel LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- ”And that is something that no normal person would search for”: visual information seeking through Google Street View for the geography game GeoGuessr
- course
- ABMM54 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- GeoGuessr, Google Street View, Google Maps, visual information seeking, information seeking, information practices, sociotechnical systems
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9153921
- date added to LUP
- 2024-06-24 08:50:41
- date last changed
- 2024-06-24 08:50:41
@misc{9153921,
abstract = {{The purpose of this thesis is to develop knowledge about visual information seeking and how it might be affected by socio-technical circumstances, with its focus on GeoGuessr players’ research through Google Street View. The study asks two research questions: 1. How do GeoGuessr players use Google Street View to do research? and 2. How can Google Street View’s socio-technical circumstances affect this visual information seeking?. Using information practices and socio-technical systems as theoretical frameworks, the study analyzes empirical material gathered from five interviews with GeoGuessr players with experience of doing research, as well as from literature offering critical viewpoints on Google Street View and Google Maps.
The study has found that GeoGuessr players use Google Street View in the ways that are considered most useful to them and in ways that Google surely did not intend or foresee. These information practices are dependent on the context of the GeoGuessr community as well as the context of Google Street View and its socio-technical circumstances. It is common to research potential clues by inspecting a large number of locations and thereby mapping the occurrence of the visual phenomenon. Importantly, information sharing is common within the community and this affects what information other players might seek. Google Street View’s socio-technical circumstances may affect GeoGuessr players’ information seeking in at least three ways: 1. what images actually exist, considering the varied amount of Google Street View coverage around the world; 2. what these images look like and what knowledge can be derived from them; and 3. the features that are – or aren’t – offered on Google Street View and Google Maps.}},
author = {{Wallén, Gabriel}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{”And that is something that no normal person would search for”: visuell informationssökning via Google Street View för geografispelet GeoGuessr}},
year = {{2024}},
}