The image of 𝔘_{*}(𝔛)→𝔑_{*}(𝔛)

Abstract

here outline two of the Lab's recent research projects, which have involved examining extensive Instagram data from various cities around the globe. Social media content, such as Instagram images, their tags and descriptions, is now a key form of contemporary city life. It tells people where the activities and locations that interest them are, and allows them to share their urban experiences and self-representations. It creates an 'image of a city' for its residents and for the outside world. The identity of any city today is as much composed of the media content shared in that city via social networks as of its infrastructure and economic activities, and must therefore be considered in any urban analysis. Computational analysis of large numbers of user-generated photos and videos shared in particular areas can also help us to understand how people experience architecture and urban structures and what they do there. This can be carried out at any scale, from the city to the hyperlocal level of streets, buildings or parts of interiors. The proportion of all shared Instagram photos that show the built environment can be compared for different cities, alongside an analysis of which observation points for landmarks are the most popular, and what emotions they evoke depending on the time of the day. These patterns can then be compared for residents and for tourists, for different genders, age and so on. In short, being able to analyse digital traces of what large numbers of people do in our built environments and how they see and use them can be very useful for urban design.