Foams of togetherness in the digital age: Sloterdijk, software sorting and Foursquare

The article brings together Peter Sloterdijk's theory of spheres and literatures on the socio-spatial implications of the functioning of software. By examining the growing personalization of search results for recreational places on spatial media like Foursquare, we make the case for Sloterdijk...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geographica Helvetica 2020-09, Vol.75 (3), p.259-269
Main Authors: Widmer, Sarah, Klauser, Francisco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Customization
Machine learning
Search engines
Social networks
Software
Spheres
User generated content
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Summary:The article brings together Peter Sloterdijk's theory of spheres and literatures on the socio-spatial implications of the functioning of software. By examining the growing personalization of search results for recreational places on spatial media like Foursquare, we make the case for Sloterdijk's conceptualization of “foam” offering an interesting contribution to the analysis and critique of contemporary algorithmic life, in particular with regard to the liquidity and fragility of the forms of togetherness in “co-isolation” created by such applications. In emphasizing the impermanence and ambiguities of these fleeting mediations, the article also points to the politics of these algorithmic foams, whose logics of categorization and socio-spatial sorting become increasingly difficult to understand, politically address or challenge.
ISSN:2194-8798
0016-7312
2194-8798
DOI:10.5194/gh-75-259-2020