Crowd-sourcing the smart city

Using big geosocial media metrics in urban governance

Dados Bibliográficos

ID5260428
AutoresMatthew Zook (0000-0002-6034-3262, University of Kentucky, autor correspondente)
Ano2017
Volume4
Fascículo1
Data de publicação2017-06-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoBig Data & Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2053-9517 • E-ISSN: 2053-9517
EditoraSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/2053951717694384
OpenAlexW2614643993
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas41
Referências citadas61

Using Big Data to better understand urban questions is an exciting field with challenging methodological and theoretical problems. It is also, however, potentially troubling when Big Data (particularly derived from social media) is applied uncritically to urban governance via the ideas and practices of "smart cities". This essay reviews both the historical depth of central ideas within smart city governance -particular the idea that enough data/information/knowledge can solve society problems-but also the ways that the most recent version differs. Namely, that the motivations and ideological underpinning behind the goal of urban betterment is largely driven by technology advocates and neoliberalism rather than the strong social justice themes associated with earlier applications of data to cities. Geosocial media data and metrics derived from them can provide useful insight and policy direction. But one must be ever mindful that metrics don't simply measure; in the process of deciding what is important and possible to measure, these data are simultaneously defining what cities are

Big data · Business · Corporate governance · Data science · Ideology · Internet of Things · Internet privacy · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Smart city · Social media · Social science · Sociology · Underpinning · World Wide Web · Computer Science · E-Government and Public Services · Human Mobility and Location-Based Analysis · Smart Cities and Technologies