Name: Social maps that reveal a city's intersections — and separations
Uploaded: 2014-12-12T16:10:42Z
Duration: 5 min 19 s
Description: Every city has its neighborhoods, cliques and clubs, the hidden lines that join and divide people in the same town. What can we learn about cities by looking at what people share online? Starting with his own home town of Baltimore, Dave Troy has been visualizing what the tweets of city dwellers reveal about who lives there, who they talk to — and who they don’t.

Dave Troy: Social maps that reveal a city's intersections — and separations

Social maps that reveal a city's intersections — and separations

Every city has its neighborhoods, cliques and clubs, the hidden lines that join and divide people in the same town. What can we learn about cities by looking at what people share online? Starting with his own home town of Baltimore, Dave Troy has been visualizing what the tweets of city dwellers reveal about who lives there, who they talk to — and who they don’t.

The hidden fabric of cities is revealed in the patterns of who talks to whom, not just in their streets and landmarks. Social mapping of online interactions exposes how communities cluster, where bridges exist, and where divisions persist. In Baltimore, for example, sports teams connect otherwise separate groups, while in San Francisco, tech and arts communities occupy distinct territories. These digital maps challenge old ideas about diversity and encourage us to imagine new ways to shape urban life.