![The Collision of Physical and Virtual
Worlds
1. When a Virtual Space overlaps a Real-
World Space, whose space is it?
2. Who controls what is created within this
space as a result?
The Rise in Augmented Reality has effectively blurred the lines
between what constitutes virtual and public space, Calling two
Main Questions into focus!
Networked Urbanism, (2013), Informative Landscape [ONLINE]. Available at: http://networkedurbanism.com/wp-
content/uploads/2013/10/krystelle_and_z_2.5minpresentation.jpg [Accessed 21 November 2017].](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
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To what extent has augmented reality blurred the lines between virtual and private spheres?
- 1. To What Extent has Augmented Reality Blurred the Lines Between Virtual and Public Spheres? Ashton Kingdon
- 2. The Collision of Physical and Virtual Worlds 1. When a Virtual Space overlaps a Real- World Space, whose space is it? 2. Who controls what is created within this space as a result? The Rise in Augmented Reality has effectively blurred the lines between what constitutes virtual and public space, Calling two Main Questions into focus! Networked Urbanism, (2013), Informative Landscape [ONLINE]. Available at: http://networkedurbanism.com/wp- content/uploads/2013/10/krystelle_and_z_2.5minpresentation.jpg [Accessed 21 November 2017].
- 3. • Augmented Reality is an experience in which a virtual world is superimposed over the physical world in such a way that both are visible at the same time. • As the lines blur between digital and physical realms, there is a growing opportunity for Augmented Reality to enrich our three dimensional space. • The introduction of Augmented Reality applications such as SnapChat and Pokémon Go draw attention to the important issues regarding who owns cities digital spaces. What is Augmented Reality? Chris Helgren, (2017), Pokemon Pidgey [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/04/pokemon-go-pidgeys#img-1 [Accessed 20 November 2017]. Olivia Harris, (2017), Pokemon Go [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/aug/30/ar-augmented-reality-apple- google-smartphone-ikea-pokemon-go#img-2 [Accessed 20 November 2017].
- 5. • As a discipline, Human Geography blends both the social and physical sciences and attempts to understand and contextualise the relationship that exists between people and their environment on a local and global scale. • Human Geographers will often gather data through field observations, surveys, interviews and statistical analysis. Thus incorporating both positive and interpretive epistemological positions to understand the world around them. • As society moves into a digital age the everyday practices and experiences of the conception of place and space are becoming increasingly interwoven with digital technology. • These digitalised media technologies have altered the paradigms that exist between space and time and as a result the boundaries between public and private space have become increasingly blurred. • The geographical dimensions of the dialect of space have erupted with the introduction of smart phones and tablets, bringing the definitions of public, private, and virtual space into dispute.
- 6. The Production of Space • Within the field of Geography, Henri Lefebvre (1991) was concerned with understanding the relationship between the production of space, and the social relations of production. • The diagram on the right is a demonstration of Lefebvre’s Conceptual Triad, in which he combines Spatial practice (physical space) Representation of Space (Mental Space), and Representational Spaces (Social space), in an attempt to outline how space is produced. Simon Briercliffe, (2017), Using Lefebvre's Triad [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUK EwjPv82Nos3XAhUKL8AKHUEzDF4QjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fuptheossroad.wordpress.com%2F2 015%2F01%2F23%2Fusing-lefebvres- triad%2F&psig=AOvVaw3TbkTLPxIf1hBMV0Y5_Z6T&ust=1511270675428631 [Accessed 20 November 2017].
- 8. • Digital technology has revolutionised the way we experience and produce art in contemporary society. • As a discipline, Digital Art is effectively art that is produced in the digital age. • The use of computers has enabled visual artists to manipulate all forms of artefacts, whether video, photographic images, sound clips, and text, to create new experiences for audiences (Wands, 2007). • Digital Art combines the study of Fine Art with Digital Technologies, so artists can produce projects in a variety of mediums (Paul, 2003). Mertiex, (2017), Bespoke Solutions for the Digital Revoloution [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0 ahUKEwjR0p6Cs83XAhXoK8AKHZdlCEYQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.meritex.co.uk%2F news%2Fbespoke-solutions-for-the-digital-revolution&psig=AOvVaw3uPO9fVEtXdT2Hs- xysBKG&ust=1511275680442597 [Accessed 20 November 2017].
- 9. Blurred Boundaries The Case Studies
- 10. • By implementing case study analysis, this research will explore the prevalent popularity of Augmented Reality and the impact this has on human behaviour, particularly in terms of place and movement. • Pokémon Go has become the posterchild for Augmented Reality Gaming. • The games inclusion of digital creatures overlaid on a mobile phone camera feed is the most primitive form of adding digital content into real-world scenarios. • The interest in the success of Pokémon Go lies in its ability to normalise the idea of location-based digital content. • The game adds a layer of digital information mapped into the physical world, which creates its own separate earth that co-exists with the world around us. • This technology has enabled players to walk hundreds of miles over the course of the game to collect digital objects and visit virtual locations. Frost Click, (2016), Pokemon Go Logo [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwifzYPi5d HXAhUhBsAKHaLvCEQQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.frostclick.com%2Fwp%2Findex.php%2F2016%2F07 %2F15%2Fpokemon-go%2F&psig=AOvVaw2ekURY636wKY7wpGow1lHM&ust=1511426797943702 [Accessed 21 November 2017].
- 11. Mitchell Broussard, (2016), Pokemon Go Worldwide Daily Active Users [ONLINE]. Available at: https://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2016/08/pokemon-decline-1- 800x436.jpg [Accessed 21 November 2017]. Mitchell Broussard, (2016), Google Trends for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality [ONLINE]. Available at: https://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2016/08/pokemon-decline-2-800x355.jpg [Accessed 21 November 2017]. The chart to the left shows the rapid rise in usage of Pokémon Go since its launch in July 2016. The second chart shows the rise in popularity of Augmented Reality gaming since Pokémon Go’s release.
- 12. Variety, (2017), Snapchats Latest Plaything [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwiG7J_38tHXAhUMBMAKHQ9rCR4Qj RwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvariety.com%2F2017%2Fdigital%2Fnews%2Fsnapchat-jeff-koons-location-art-lenses- 1202579477%2F&psig=AOvVaw03i0vl_wKL1u5wqvhsIfL6&ust=1511430328358867 [Accessed 21 November 2017]. • In October 2017 Snapchat teamed up with artist Jeff Koons to launch the first Augmented Reality, Geotagged Sculpture. • This is vital because it is the first of its kind and the first of many more to come. • Snapchat made 3D replicas of Koon’s famous Balloon Dog sculpture and made them visible through their smartphone app in nine major cities across the world. • This virtual installation represents a technological and social milestone and the growth of augmented reality will soon see corporations increasingly encroaching on public space. • Thus is it vital we start questioning how much of our virtual public space we are willing to give to companies.
- 13. Lucas Matney, (2017), Vandalised Baloon Dog [ONLINE]. Available at: https://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/screen-shot-2017-10-08-at-1-19-20- pm.png?w=738 [Accessed 21 November 2017]. • 24 hours after the release of Koon’s sculpture an act of augmented reality vandalism occurred when artist Sebastian Errazuriz completed an identical 3d AR Balloon Dog and geo-tagged it to the exact coordinates for visitors to see. • The only contrast was that the new sculpture now appeared vandalised with graffiti and represented an act of virtual protest and a symbolic stance against an imminent augmented reality corporate invasion. • Errazuriz believes that with time the boundaries separating the real and the virtual will continue to fade. • Consequently, the virtual world, where most of our social interactions take place, will become our reality. • Once we begin experiencing the world through an Augmented Reality lens, our public space will be dominated by corporate content designed to subconsciously manipulate and control us.
- 14. Blurred Boundaries An Interdisciplinary Approach
- 15. Augmented Reality ? Education to Save the World, (2017), Making Interdisciplinary Projects Work [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=imgres&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiit_y4 odLXAhVGBsAKHacnCt8QjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fedtosavetheworld.com%2F2015%2F09%2F08%2Fmak ing-interdisciplinary-projects-work-concepts-are-the- key%2F&psig=AOvVaw1H4hIgGtt7G_xRX_oLl0_F&ust=1511442829382873 [Accessed 22 November 2017]. • Interdisciplinary research involves the merging of academic boundaries, with common goal settings. • It is important for disciplines to come together to define and explore research, collectively think about approaches, and develop new and integrated theory and knowledge. • Klein (1990) defines interdisciplinary research as being able to solve problems beyond the scope of any one discipline, and achieve a unity of knowledge, engaging in new thought processes to allow the expansion of the scope of inquiry.
- 16. Neo-Geography Neo- Geography Visual Artwork Geospatial Semantics Place and Space GPS Positioning • Neo-Geography provides a link between the science of Geography and the culture of Digital Arts. • As a sub-discipline Neo-Geography can engulf traditional geography and all forms of personal, intuitive or artistic explorations and representations of geographical space, aided by new technologies associated with the geospatial web (Papadimitriou, 2010). • Thus, Neo-Geography constitutes a vibrant new field of interaction between geography, geospatial technologies, and digital art, capable of gradually transforming everyday experiences of exploration and perception of geographical space, into art on its own.
- 17. Conclusion • It is clear the everyday practices and experiences regarding the conception of place have become increasingly interwoven with digital technology. • Therefore, this research will investigate the extent to which Augmented Reality has affected society’s experience of place and space. • It is important to explore the rise of Augmented Reality from both a socio-technical and cultural angle to understand how digital and physical spaces have become blurred. • Thus, from the theoretical frameworks of Geography and Digital Arts, this research will explore the rise in Augmented Reality technology, with a specific focus on digital design and its impact on real-world space. Digital Arts Human Geography Augmented Reality
- 18. References Adlakha et al. 2017. Pokémon Go or Pokémon Gone: How can Cities Respond to Trends in Technology linking People and Space?. Cities & Health. pp. 1-6. Aurigi, A. 2008. Augmented Spaces. In: Aurigi, A & Cindio, F.D eds. Augmented Urban Spaces: Articulating the Physical and Electronic City. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Limited, pp. 5-9. Bimber, O & Raskar, R. 2005. Spatial Augmented Reality: Merging Real and Virtual Worlds. Boca Raton, Florida: Taylor & Francis. Boyle, M. 2015. Human Geography: A Concise Introduction. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Carmigniani, J & Furht, B. 2011. Augmented Reality: An Overview. In: Furht, B ed. Handbook of Augmented Reality. New York: Springer Publishing, pp. 3-47. Drucker, J. 2013. Is There a 'Digital' Art History?. Visual Resources: An International Journal on Images and their Uses. [Online]. 29(1-2), 5-13. [4 November 2017]. Available from: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01973762.2013.761106. Held, D. 2004. A Globalizing World? Culture, Economics and Politics. (2nd ed.). Oxon: Routledge.
- 19. References Klein, J. 1990. Interdisciplinarity: History, Theory and Practice. Michigan: Wayne State University Press. Lefebvre, H. 1991. The Production of Space. Translated by D. Nicholson-Smith. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd. Little, J. 2014. Society-Space. In: Cloke, P, Crang, P & Goodwin, M eds. Introducing Human Geographies. Oxon: Routledge, pp. 23-37. Papadimitriou, F. 2010. A "Neogeographical Education"? The Geospatial Web, GIS and Digital Art in Adult Education. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education. 19(1), pp. 71- 74. Paul, C. 2003. Digital Art. London: Thames & Hudson. Wands, B. 2007. Art of the Digital Age. London: Thames & Hudson.
- 20. Acknowledgments I would like to give my thanks to the University of Southampton, particularly the Web Science institute and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for giving me the opportunity to be here.
Editor's Notes
- The introduction of Augmented Reality has enabled technology to transform society into a multiverse overlapping of realities. By using the correct virtual windows and lenses, users of Augmented Reality can seamlessly move between worlds, or even create their own (Bimber & Raskar, 2005). Despite unlocking a virtual world of opportunities, the rise in Augmented Reality has seen many corporations encroaching on areas of public space (Aurigi, 2008). This has led society to question how much of its virtual space it is willing to give companies, and who exactly controls the virtual space within our cities. Thus, it is important to explore the societal implications of a web-based environment being overlaid onto real-world surroundings, and the rules that surround the use of this augmented space.
- As a discipline, Geography can be considered the science of place, hosting grand visions that offer a panoramic view and consider problems from both a natural and societal perspective (Held, 2004). Moreover, a key principle for Human Geography is to explore the interdependent relationships that bind space, place and culture (Boyle, 2015). This emphasises the importance of the spatial relationships that exist between culture and the environment (Little, 2014). Augmented reality has altered societies sense of place by distancing people away from their environment. So, people no longer feel connected to a single, physical location, but, rather, are connected to multiple affiliations within a virtual experience (Carmigniani & Furht, 2011). Thus, it is important for geographers to become cautious when assuming things about the ways in which digital technologies have, and will come to affect our daily experiences of place. Therefore, it is important to explore the effects technology has had on the blurring of boundaries between the digital and physical realms from the perspective of human geography.
- Lefebvre (1991) wanted to distinguish between natural space, which is physically bound, and social space, as well as emphasising the notion that space is both a social product and a construction of values and experiences. When exploring the erosion of the lines that represent the virtual and public spheres, it is important to make the distinction between space and place. Place refers to a physical setting, whereas space refers to a metaphysical or virtual area. Taking this into account, human geographers would argue that space and place are two contrasting domains in which we exist and function. Space can be conceptualised as a location that has no social connections. In contrast, place is more than just a location, as it is a setting that has been created by human experiences.
- Digital technology has had an impact on all forms of communication throughout the 21st century, and digital artists have been able to express their creativity through video, computer animation, digital photography and web design (Drucker, 2013). The emerging field of Digital Arts combines modern engineering with technology and digital media. So, not only have traditional forms of art such as photography, sculpture, painting and printing been transformed by digital technologies, but entirely new forms such as software art, net art, digital installation and augmented reality have emerged as recognised artistic practices (Drucker, 2013).
- Pokémon Go is now considered the most widespread outlet for proximate augmented reality. It is no longer considered just a game, but a cultural phenomenon that has catapulted the term augmented reality into the public consciousness. Moreover, it has managed to attract large numbers of people to interact with physical space again, so people are reacting with public space, but in a commodified way. It is for these reasons that Pokémon Go is now considered a constructed reality, as the geographic overlays appear only within the world of an application, thus relying on points of geographic space. However, attaching a piece of content within the virtual world to GPS coordinates poses complex challenges regarding the notion of ownership and who controls public, private and virtual space (Adlakha et al, 2017). Thus, the augmented reality space-war represents a natural progression of issues that previously surrounded online/offline ownership rights (Carmigniani & Furht, 2011).
- It is clear from the above charts that the success of Pokémon Go has brought the notion of Augmented Reality firmly into the spotlight. With usage on the increase it is important to explore how users are adjusting to the blurred divide between what is virtual and physical space.
- The release of Jeff Koon’s Snapchat sculpture has brought the issue surrounding the digitalisation of public space back the into collective conscience. This in turn has highlighted the emerging erosion that has occurred between the digital and public spheres, particularly as digital space continues to encroach itself in the public arena. It is because of this that it has now become important to question exactly who owns the digital geographic overlays that increasingly power our augmented reality worlds. With the rise of augmented reality games such as Pokémon Go, it is important for society to question how much of its virtual space it is willing to give to companies and what content they can erect over our digital space.
- Neo-Geography is a relatively new area within the realm of geography that is highly subjective and can include data such as photography, text, video, music, as well as being used to create a wide range of digital maps. Equally, Neo-Geography includes the work of photo blogging, microblogging and radical cartographic mapping. This type of approach allows people to gain new insights into what constitutes geographical space and adds a personal and cultural dimension to the concept of mapping. Geo-tagging is of importance due to its ability to give all non-geographical data a reference.
- To conclude, it is clear that augmented reality has increased entertainment, enhanced creative work, and, to some extent, improved society. The invention of augmented reality smartphone applications such as Snapchat and Pokémon Go draw attention to the important issues that surround the use of a cities digital space. Moreover, the growth of augmented reality has seen corporations increasingly encroaching on public space via the digital realm. Therefore, it is important for us to question exactly how much of our virtual space we are willing to give to companies, and explore exactly who is it that controls the virtual space within our cities.