#WhereAmI? The synergy of social media engagement and cartosemiotic conduct
Date
2018
Authors
Odegard, Paige Alexandra, author
Abrams, Katherine M., advisor
Seel, Peter B., committee member
Laituri, Melinda J., committee member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
This thesis presents a multi-quantitative study to describe and analyze the synergy of map language, or cartosemiotics, and social media engagement. In addition to an extensive literature review of cartosemiotics and social media, a content analysis of social media posts and an online survey of social media users were implemented to define Social Cartosemiotic Conduct (SCC). This conduct is primarily sharing a combination of #[location] and emoji on social media, to indicate both a place or geotag and a corresponding symbol to represent that place. While identifying this map language on social media, the effects of this communication were also determined, specifically in relation to user concern for privacy, spatial awareness, and social perspective. Although the survey data from the collected convenience sample was not representative of the randomly sampled content analysis data, the individual method results, as well as the data similarities between each method, showed relationships that could influence: market research procedures, how geographers landscape place, an understanding for a new form of geo-centered Computer Mediated Communication, as well as how individual privacy concerns are becoming more collective as technology from multiple disciplines are advancing and synthesizing.