A Brief History of the Future of Urban Computing and Locative Media by Anne Galloway, B.A. (Hons.), M.A. A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Sociology and Anthropology Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2008 Anne Galloway Library and Bibliotheque et 1*1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-43894-7 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-43894-7 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non­ sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. •*• Canada 2 ABSTRACT Since the late 1980s, researchers have been working on a "post-desktop" paradigm for human-computer interaction, known as "ubiquitous" or "pervasive" computing. Combining any number of mobile, networked and context-aware technologies, pervasive computing involves the embedding of computational capacities in the objects and environments that surround us. When this research began to spread from university and corporate labs to the popular imagination, there was an almost immediate and negative reaction, marked by anxieties around the idea of technologies penetrating into everyday life. In North America and Europe in particular, privacy concerns came to the fore as commentators envisioned a world of absolute surveillance. Conversely, the more recent emerging research agendas in "urban computing" and "locative media" present a strongly Utopian vision. Following urban computing and locative media and their accompanying visions from labs, conferences and classrooms to journal publications and popular media accounts, this dissertation presents four case histories in corporate, academic and artistic design practice. An analysis of the Mobile Bristol, Passing Glances, Sonic City and Urban Tapestries research and design projects draws out the idea that everyday life in the future city is expected to become more expressive, engaging and meaningful. The increased extensibility and transmissibility of the city itself, along with an increased ability to be socially embedded within it, is seen to be a fundamental promise inherent in these projects. The dissertation argues that such spatial and cultural potentialities can be productively understood as involving temporary, selective and mobile publics, where creative and playful interactions emerge as primary means of social innovation. The dissertation builds on available sociological approaches to understanding everyday life in the networked city to show that emergent technologies reshape our experiences of spatiality, temporality and embodiment. It contributes to methodological innovation through the use of data bricolage and research blogging, which are presented through experimental and recombinant textual strategies; and it contributes to the field of science and technology studies by bringing together actor-network theory with the sociology of expectations in order to empirically evaluate an area of cutting-edge design. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I could not have completed my dissertation without the support of extraordinary faculty, friends and family, and I would like to express my gratitude to the individuals who accompanied me on this adventure. First, I thank my thesis committee. It was my supervisor, Rob Shields, who originally convinced me to apply to the doctoral programme. While working full- time, I took his "Virtual Spaces"course and remembered why I wanted to be an academic. Since then, Rob has never ceased to be interested and interesting, two qualities I greatly admire and ones that unfailingly provided support when needed. He set a high standard of research and scholarship for me, and was always willing to help me reach it when I struggled. My knowledge and understanding of space and culture is deeply indebted to what Rob taught me over the years, and it is my great hope that my dissertation offers something worthwhile in return. In the first year of my doctoral studies I took a reading course in human- computer interaction with Gitte Lindgaard, and I immediately knew I could not ask for a more supportive addition to my thesis committee. Her unflinching but always kind attention to detail helped me better understand the contexts in which I sought to intervene, and she never failed to be open to new ways of thinking and writing about issues in the field. Gitte has always served as a strong advocate for me and my work, consistently demonstrating the benefits of cross-disciplinary teaching and learning. I am also deeply grateful for her uncanny ability to say exactly what I needed to hear to keep going, and for always reminding me to laugh. Carlos Novas joined the department, and my committee, while I was writing my thesis. Without hesitation, he met a demanding reading schedule and consistently offered invaluable comments on all matters related to social studies of science and technology. Undoubtedly, my dissertation's focus in these areas was greatly improved by Carlos' thoughtful suggestions, and I very much appreciate his help during the final stages of writing and preparing for the defense. I am particularly thankful to Mike Michael in the Department of Sociology at Goldsmith's College, University of London, who kindly agreed to join us by telephone as the external examiner for the thesis defense. Professor Michael immediately put me at ease, but never let me off the hook. His challenging questions helped me better understand the strengths and weaknesses of my arguments, and his astute comments were instrumental in guiding the final revisions. I also greatly appreciate his suggestions for further research and publication, and look forward to putting them into action. My dissertation also directly benefited from the questions and comments of the other examiners. Andrea Doucet introduced me to experimental writing methods 4 in sociology, and her questions about the field continue to inspire me. Avi Parush admirably rose to the challenge of evaluating a dissertation—and a rather unusual one at that—outside his field. I attempted to address his concerns in the final revisions and remain grateful for the questions he raised. I am also grateful to two professors who indirectly helped me get to this point. During my Bachelor of Arts at the University of Alberta, Ruth Gruhn taught me to value the questions raised in social and cultural studies, and the importance of looking far and wide for the best answers. During my Master of Arts at Trent University, John Topic instilled in me the belief that technology, space and culture can never be separated, and that a radical empiricism is required to productively understand them. Without this knowledge and understanding, I would have never believed that my doctoral project was possible. In addition to such strong scholarly support, my studies could not have been completed without a Doctoral Fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, an Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and the financial support of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University. I would also like to thank the individuals who stood beside me for so many years and played such vital roles in my everyday life. First and foremost, I am grateful to my two great loves: Jason Kiss, who made all this possible and worthwhile, and Enid Coleslaw, my constant companion and world's best listener. Special thanks go to Bob Krukowski for being such a supportive friend, and indulging my love of bad television without complaint. Thanks to Nikki Guerrero for always making me laugh, and never missing a pho date—even if it meant going out in a blizzard. Thanks to John Stevenson for his wisdom and wicked sense of humour. Thanks to Craig Davey for reminding me of what is really important. Thanks to Daphne Guerrero for understanding that the right answer often involves brunch. Thanks also to Linda Campbell and Herb Hartshorne for believing in me for so many years. Thanks to Jean Burgess, who makes me think hard and laugh harder, and stuck with me in the final stretch. Thanks to Matt Webb for some of the best conversations I have ever had. Thanks to Timo Arnall for his trust and understanding. Thanks to Ehsan Roudiani for giving me a home away from home. Thanks to Rod McLaren for knowing just what to say. Thanks to Molly Steenson for her interminable enthusiasm.