Mobile nodes: mobile and locative media, everyday life and sense of place

This thesis presents an analysis of the relationship that exists between the use of place-specific information in mobile communication technologies and the different aspects of place-making and self-presentation in London. Through a study of empirical data collected from seven focus groups, during which a total of 38 participants were asked to draw sketch maps of London to shed light on social and spatial interactions in the urban space related to the proliferation of mobile communication technologies and their location-aware features. To this end, the development of locative media within specific types of location-aware mobile devices and services is shown to be intimately interrelated with different aspects of place-making and self-presentation in London.
This thesis demonstrates that mobile and locative media serves as a platform through which the user can communicate different aspects of themselves and their relationship with specific places, while also constructing a sense of those places by sharing individual narratives of their everyday lives. Highlighting the significance of sharing and retrieving locational information through mobile and locative media, this study not only analyses the use of mobile and locative media in everyday life, but reflects also on how the perception of places is transformed as a result of social and spatial interactions, and the practices of sharing and remembering, as well as navigating. Employing a holistic approach in the framing and research of locative media, and introducing sketch-mapping as a creative methodology in the form of focus groups for a research into communication and media, this thesis makes an original contribution to existing literature, especially in the field of mobile and locative media.