Google Earth as a Reflection of Cultural Changes and Socio-Spatial Processes in the Digital Age

The paper describes the change undergoing in maps and map-making, in the move from modern printed maps to digital, online maps, emphasizing the changing status of the cartographer and the changing nature of information represented on the maps. Taking Google Earth as its main example, the paper demonstrates the cultural changes embedded in this environment in terms of three main spatial themes: the global culture, the culture of openness and collaboration, and the virtualization of the cultural products and practices. It contributes to the understanding of the broader context of the changes in the modes of production and knowledge politics in the digital age. Google Earth as a Reflection of Cultural Changes and Socio-Spatial Processes in the Digital Age