mapping the Middle East: Lumeta
Posted by adiamondinsunlight on September 30, 2008
For today, something beautiful and scientific mapped into one: Lumeta’s Internet mapping project, which includes this lyrical (okay, slightly alien-looking) map of Internet usage in the Middle East. (And no, I don’t know why Afghanistan and Pakistan are included here – one of the many moments in which stereotypes override geography.)
The map shows IPs rather than individual users, and I’m not sure how it accounts for Lebanese providers’ tendency to use European IPs (hence my confusion in 2007 when I suddenly found myself online from Lithuania). But its still a lovely map, and an interesting way to visualize our use of the Internet.
bobbywashere said
Kinda makes the digital world look like an organic object. Looks colorful almost psychedelic and complicated.
Regards
BobbyM
Global Voices Online » Lebanon: Lyrical Internet Usage Map said
[...] A Diamond's Eye View of the World, an American who lives/lived in Lebanon, draws our attention to Lumeta’s Internet mapping project, which “includes this lyrical (okay, slightly alien-looking) map of Internet usage in the Middle East.” Posted by Amira Al Hussaini Print Version Share This [...]
adiamondinsunlight said
Dear Bobby – you are right: it does look organic, although to me the spiky-ness also looks a bit un-human. To me it is both beautiful – an expression of our digital activity as an art object – and interesting, because it shows how inter-connected we are, even online.
jd said
To me it looks like the head of a dandelion flower going to seed before you make a wish and blow it to bits. Pretty.