GRAPHIC REPORT

GRAPHIC REPORT

Mark Graham and Stefano De Sabbata are fellows in the Information Geographies project at the Oxford Internet Institute, which is dedicated to “understanding life online.” The Information Geographies project aims “to produce a comprehensive atlas of contemporary information and Internet geographies . . . in order to tell a story about three key facets of global information geographies (access, information production, and information representation).” Graham and De Sabbata’s graphic report focuses on the most visited Web sites in different regions. Other graphic reports in the project reveal the geographically uneven coverage of Wikipedia and the varying affordability of broadband around the world.

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Reading the Genre

Question

1. Graham and De Sabbata carefully explain the sources of their data and the inspiration for their visualization. Given that they borrowed the research from the company Alexa and borrowed the image idea from a game, what value are they really adding? Look carefully at the choices they have made and comment on the ways that these choices change your viewing of the map. (For more on data visualization, see Chapter 49, “Tables, Graphs, and Infographics”.)

Question

2. This is a graphic report, even though it comes in the form of a map. Do you think the map also has an argument or thesis? How do Graham and De Sabbata want their audience to act on their report, and what do they want the audience to learn? (See Chapter 2, “Reports”.)

Question

3. Looking at the goals of the Information Geographies project, what does this map tell us about “access, information production, and information representation”? Choose one of these “three key facets of global information geographies” and examine what the map reveals about that facet. How is information accessed, how is information produced, or how is information represented?

Question

4. WRITING: While these maps chart modern-day “Internet empires,” they don’t really consider what some of the costs of empire are. Empires colonize, centralize power and resources, and create a lot of casualties. Look at one of these Internet empires and report on some of these costs and casualties. (For instance, we know that a key cost of Facebook’s expansion is privacy.)

Question

5. MULTIMODALITY—INFORMATION GEOGRAPHY MAP: Look at demographic information listing state-by-state (or province-by-province) Internet access, broadband cost, or even Facebook usage. These statistics can be found on the U.S. Census site or even on reference sites like Wikipedia. Map these statistics as if you were part of the Information Geographies team, using color carefully, choosing the right type of map, and considering how to explain the map with a legend, with captions, or with other forms of description.

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