Marta Severo

Ces dernières années, les nouvelles technologies ont profondément changé les territoires. Ce qui rend ce changement particulièrement intéressant est le fait qu’il affecte à la fois les territoires dans leurs matérialités et la façon de les étudier et de les gérer. Les médias numériques sont intéressants dans la mesure où toute interaction qui les traverse laisse des traces qui peuvent être enregistrées, analysées et visualisées. Cette traçabilité intrinsèque promet, si contrôlée par une méthodologie adéquate, de fournir une source nouvelle de données pour l’étude des territoires. Face à l’abondance de ces nouveaux types de données, plusieurs études empiriques ont été réalisées, mais une réflexion théorique sur l’emploi de ces données dans les études territoriales est encore faible.
Cet ouvrage vise à développer une réflexion partagée sur les questions liées à l’emploi des traces numériques dans les études territoriales. Trois questions seront abordées. Une première a trait aux méthodes digitales, dont un nouveau groupe a été récemment développé pour traiter ce type de données. Il est aujourd’hui nécessaire de conduire une réflexion critique sur ces méthodes et notamment sur les implications de leur emploi dans des études territoriales. L’ouvrage se plonge ensuite sur des questions plus théoriques soulevées par la rencontre des traces et des territoires. Entre autres, un des éléments les plus problématiques dans l’application de ces méthodes est la gestion des rapports de continuité et discontinuité entre trace numérique et espace. Enfin, cet ouvrage se confronte aux conséquences de l’utilisation des traces numériques pour l’aménagement et la gestion des territoires. Aujourd’hui, le décideur public doit intégrer les données traditionnelles aux nouvelles données générées, selon une approche bottom-up, par les acteurs du Web 2.0. On assiste ainsi à l’avènement d’un nouvel impératif participatif dans l’élaboration et la mise en œuvre des politiques territoriales.

In recent years, decision makers have reported difficulties in the use of official statistics in public policy: excessively long publication delays, insufficient coverage of topics of interest, and the top-down process of data creation. The deluge of data available online represents a potential answer to these problems, with social media data in particular as a possible alternative to traditional data. In this article, we propose a definition of “Soft Data” to indicate data that are freely available on the Internet, and that are not controlled by a public administration but rather by public or private actors. The term Soft Data is not intended to replace those of “Big Data” and “Open Data,” but rather to highlight specific properties and research methods required to convert them into information of interest for decision makers. The analysis is based on a case study of Twitter data for urban policymaking carried out for a European research program aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of European cohesion policy. The article explores methodological issues and the possible impact of “Soft Data” on public policy, reporting on semistructured interviews carried out with nine European policymakers.

What is the difference between a researcher in philosophy and a philosopher? There are two kinds of answer that we can give to this question. We can say that the difference lies in a sort of internal quality; or, as the authors of this paper do, we can argue that a philosopher would not be a philosopher without the intervention of an ensemble of social actors such as universities, departments, funding, colleagues, editors, journals, media, and so on. In the first section, referring to actor-network theory (ANT), the authors define the philosopher as a Leviathan, i.e. a macro-actor that became macro- not thanks to his/her essence, but because he/she succeeded in translating the interests of other actors. In the second section, it is introduced the notion of digital traces, and the homology between ANT and the image of the social reality we can obtain from a process of extraction, treatment, and (visual) restitution of digital traces. In particular, the authors stress the potential of a digital traces-based scientometric for studying actor-networks related to the academic world, but also its limit. In the third section, the specific case of the actor-networks related to philosopher Paul Ricoeur is considered. First, on the basis of a scientometric analysis of the digital traces contained in the bibliographic database Scopus, and secondly by extending the exploration to digital traces available on the Web via web mapping. In the conclusion, the authors affirm that the merit of their digital hermeneutics consists in bringing forward a «world of the text» which is probably less romantic, but certainly more authentic that the «world of the text» to which Ricoeur has often referred to.

Two recent phenomena have deeply affected the know-space of the city: the failures of traditional data and the diffusion of digital traces. Indeed, urban decision-makers have lately revealed several discrepancies in relation to traditional data used in public policy, caused for example by excessively long publication delays, the insufficient coverage of topics that would otherwise be of interest for social cohesion, and the top-down process of data creation. To many of them, the exponential deluge of information available on the Internet represents a potential answer to such dissatisfaction. This information can be treated as a set of digital traces about the urban action (Benkler, 2007). Internet data (especially data from social media), considered as digital traces of social life, seem to provide interesting alternatives to the failures of traditional data, namely shorter publication time spans that are more adequate for public action, the coverage of new topics of interest, and bottom-up approaches to information. In order to handle these data, a new group of methods called " digital methods " has been developed (Rogers, 2013). These methods have aroused great enthusiasm in the field of urban studies and numerous empirical analyses have been carried out. Yet, more recently, supporters of these methods have taken more prudent positions (Lazer et al., 2014) and have observed several theoretical and methodological issues related to them (Marres and Weltevrede, 2013). This paper is an opportunity to reflect on the use of digital traces for studying urban spaces, and on the theoretical attitude that have to be assumed in order to employ these data and methods in the field of urban studies.

This article discusses the value of gift exchange in online social media. In the first part, the authors show how most of the commentators have considered online gifting as an alternative to the classical market economy. Yet the recent (re)territorialization of the web challenges this perspective. As a consequence, the internet can no longer be considered a reply to capitalism. In the second part, the authors argue that in anthropology and social philosophy the term ‘gift’ has often been used improperly, and that gift exchange has nothing to do with goods exchange, but with mutual recognition. In the third part, they use this definition to stress the importance of gift circulation through Facebook’s ‘Like’ button and the Twitter feature called ‘Mention’. In conclusion, the authors deal with the ‘Like economy’, i.e. the interference between gift exchange and market economy which is daily at work online.

As part of Digital Methods Summer School Program 2014 by the Digital Methods Initiative (DMI) in Amsterdam, our group aims to identify how cities speak on Twitter, using a dataset from DMI­TCAT. A huge extraction of 5 European Cities (Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Marseille, Bologna, Brussels) which are the part of project of the European Observation Network, Territorial Development and Cohesion (ESPON). The study was concerned about what are the topics associated with the city and where are the users speaking about the city locations. This draft presents only the findings of #Amsterdam case study.

The unique and irreplaceable value of cultural heritage has long been recognized. Similarly, the need for accurate and detailed information about heritage for its conservation and management is well understood. Yet the records of our heritage have received less thorough treatment. From the need for heritage repositories, to the steps in creating them, this paper provides a high-level look at digital archives of cultural heritage. Using the evolving UNESCO World Heritage portal as our example, we provide an overview of the requirements for cultural heritage organizations, from planning to design, to deploy, and maintaining a digital repository, emphasizing information specific to the management, monitoring, and conservation of cultural heritage.

The unique and irreplaceable value of cultural heritage has long been recognized. Similarly, the need for accurate and detailed information about heritage for its conservation and management is well understood. Yet the records of our heritage have received less thorough treatment. From the need for heritage repositories, to the steps in creating them, this paper provides a high-level look at digital archives of cultural heritage. Using the evolving UNESCO World Heritage portal as our example, we provide an overview of the ...

Though environmental degradations appear today as a major driver of migration flows, the debate about the definition of the relationship between environment and migration remains vivid. In public debates, many terms exist to qualify those who have to migrate because of environmental disruptions: this has lead to controversies surrounding the use of these different terms. This article attempts to document this controversy through a study of the different uses of these terms in public debates online. In order to do so, we have used a new digital method that has allowed us, thanks to a search on Google.com, to collect webpages where the discussion on the different definitions of these migrations was most visible. Building on an analysis of the expressions contained in these webpages, we have generated semantic maps that show which terms are associated with each other: in particular, which actors, places and concepts were connected to the most terms. These maps reflect the polymorphic reality of these migrations, but also the categorical void that surrounds them.

The 2003 Unesco Convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is addressed to States and assigns them several tasks. No State, however, can accomplish all these tasks without mobilizing a wide network of institutions, associations and individuals. The national ICH policies intersect, overlap and often transform the existing relationships among these actors. This paper aims at comparing several national networks (France, Italy, Switzerland) involved in the implementation of the 2003 Unesco Convention in order to highlight national trends and specificities. The analysis will employ an innovative methodology based on digital methods and aimed at exploring the landscapes of websites dedicated to the intangible heritage. Analyzing the hyperlinking strategies of ICH actors, we will identify the specific web topology of each nation, showing which actors are central and peripheral, whether clusters or cliques are formed and who plays the roles of authority and hub.

This paper presents the results of a project (called “Big data”) carried out in the context of the European programme ESPON. In this project, we test the interest of using Web 2.0 data for studying issues related to territorial development and cohesion. We focus on the possible uses of large sets of Twitter data for studying European cities.  These data are expected to improve the study of the impact of the brand of a city at international and at local level. The objective of the project is to define a methodology and not to provide final evidence. For this reason, we test three different types of samples and methods in order to evaluate advantages and backwards of each technique: (first method) tweets mentioning the city; (second method) tweets geo-tagged in the city; (third method) tweets of a qualitative sample of city’s influencers.

In recent years, new technologies have profoundly affected the life of the city. One of the most revolutionary changes concerns the widespread availability of digital technologies, especially the Internet. This change is particularly interesting insofar it has relevant consequences both on the
city itself and on its study and manages. Indeed, the interest of digital media is that any interaction, which passes through them, leaves a trace that can be easily stored and treated with digital methods. This article reflects on the value and use of digital traces in the context of urban analysis. In particular, we investigate the relations that digital methods generate between the digital and the (social) reality. The reflection will be developed in two steps. Firstly, we will discuss the topic from a philosophical point of view. Secondly, we will test our theoretical insights through the practical case of geolocation.

The definition of the Egyptian migration as a diaspora has been much debated and often denied. This article investigates the phenomenon of the Egyptian diaspora through an innovative approach based on the analysis of digital activity and the presence of Egyptian connected migrants. Following the methodology of the e-Diaspora project, we found a scarcely connected network of websites, with a large number of isolated nodes, little clusterisation and no authorities or hubs. The fact that the traditional approach of the e-diaspora gave few results prompted us to follow a new research strategy combining data from Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. In particular, thanks to the coincidence with the Egyptian revolt, we could investigate the mobilisation of Egyptian migrants for their voting rights on the micro-blogging platform Twitter. Through Twitter data, we identified links that were not visible through traditional Web mapping techniques and we could observe the emergence of a transnational Egyptian community debating and fighting for a common cause.

L’objectif de cet article est d’explorer les nouvelles formes de mobilisation sociale en milieu urbain qui utilisent les technologies de l’Internet. Le développement des réseaux sociaux en ligne offre en effet de nouvelles possibilités d’expression et de contestation. Le Web 2.0 se transforme ainsi en un espace public numérique complémentaire de l’espace public physique traditionnel surtout lorsque celui-ci est particulièrement contrôlé.
Le cas de la « carte du sang de l’immobilier chinois » est particulièrement représentatif de ces transformations. Mise en ligne en octobre 2010, cette carte coopérative fait appel à la connaissance des internautes pour répertorier les développements immobiliers ayant donné lieu à des violences physiques. Celles-ci peuvent aller de la simple répression de manifestations à des immolations par le feu. La version vérifiée de la carte présente 85 événements et la version ouverte 199 cas. La publication de cette carte a été reprise dans les médias chinois et internationaux, participant ainsi à l’inscription sur l’agenda politique international des enjeux sociaux liés au développement urbain et immobilier chinois.

Les évènements qui ont eu lieu lors des premiers mois de l’année 2011 dans le monde arabe ont porté l’attention sur l’importance des nouvelles technologies et notamment d’Internet  dans le déclenchement et le déroulement des mouvements de protestation. L’influence des bloggeurs a été mise en avant, mais aussi celle des réseaux sociaux en ligne (comme Facebook) et des systèmes de microblogging (comme Twitter).
Grâce à leurs connexions avec les réseaux étrangers, les bloggeurs tunisiens ont diffusé les informations sur les évènements en temps réel. Pour connaître les dernières actualités, les journalistes et les bloggeurs du monde entier se sont connectés aux blogs, aux comptes Facebook et Twitter de Slim Amamou  (arrêté sous le régime de Ben Ali et un moment ministre de la Jeunesse et des Sports de Tunisie avant de démissionner), de Lina Ben Mhenni (auteure du blog « A Tunisian girl » ) et de beaucoup d’autres.
Quelques jours après les révoltes tunisiennes, des dynamiques similaires se sont manifestées en Egypte. Certains voient l’origine des manifestations en Esraa Abdel Fattah, jeune fille égyptienne fondatrice du groupe Facebook qui a organisé le Mouvement du 6 avril 2008.  D’autres reconnaissent en Khaled Saïd, le bloggeur tué en juin 2010, l’icône de la révolte.  Bien que le gouvernement ait coupé l’accès à Internet pendant plus de cinq jours, Twitter et Facebook ont pu être utilisés en contournant la censure notamment grâce aux téléphones portables. Internet est lui-même devenu un casus belli, mais la guérilla numérique est une pratique difficile à saisir et à suivre.
Si le plus souvent les médias ont parlé en général de cyber-activisme, il existe des différences cruciales entre les diverses formes de la communication en ligne. Dans cet article, nous nous occuperons principalement de la blogosphère.

The coupling of geographic and media information raises many difficulties. Yet, it can be particularly fruitful for the analysis of the international system when viewed from the space-time perspective of the capture of signals from either devices of statistical measures or devices of media measures. For example, an earthquake will be measured in the geographic space by its location and magnitude, but it will be also measured in the media space for instance by the number of articles devoted to it. An original observatory of events can be built by combining the two types of sensors. We aim at building a first prototype of geomedia observatory by reducing the complexity of events in terms of geographical description to the case of international events. By setting the geographic grid to the States, we can analyse the spatial and temporal variation related to both the place where an event occurs and the place from which this event is observed.

Face au déluge de données disponibles sur Internet, une des pistes les plus captivantes qui s’ouvre au chercheur en sciences sociales concerne l’identification et l’analyse des phénomènes sociaux à travers ce nouveau type de données. Parmi ces données, certaines se montrent particulièrement adaptées à l’identification des événements médiatiques internationaux et à l’étude de leur déroulement dans l’espace et dans le temps : nous proposons d’utiliser les flux RSS des journaux quotidiens. Dans cet article, nous présenterons une analyse de l’affaire Edward Snowden qui nous fournit un exemple optimal d’événement médiatique international. A travers la description de cette histoire, les médias ont dessiné différentes géographies autour du personnage en mentionnant les pays qui pouvaient lui offrir l’asile mais également les pays potentiellement touchés par la politique de surveillance des Etats-Unis. Nous conduirons une analyse de cet événement en proposant une méthode quali-quantitative basée sur l’analyse des flux RSS qui permet d’analyser l’événement tout en évitant la dichotomique quantité-fiabilité des données.

Ces dernières années, les nouvelles technologies ont changé profondément la vie de la ville. Un des changements les plus révolutionnaires concerne la diffusion du numérique, et notamment du réseau Internet. Ce qui rend ce changement particulièrement intéressant est le fait qu’il affecte à la fois la ville elle-même et la façon de l’étudier et de la gérer. En effet, l’intérêt des medias numériques est que toute interaction qui les traverse laisse des traces qui peuvent être facilement enregistrées et aisément traitées à travers de nouvelles méthodes numériques. Cet article réfléchit sur la valeur et l’emploi des traces numériques dans le contexte d’analyses urbaines. En particulier, nous nous interrogeons sur la relation que les méthodes numériques génèrent entre le numérique et la réalité (sociale). L’article est organisé en deux parties. Dans une première partie théorique, nous aborderons le sujet du point de vue philosophique. Dans une deuxième partie empirique, nous mettrons à l’épreuve notre pensée à travers le cas pratique de la géolocalisation.

Le développement conjoint d’analyses de différents niveaux d’organisation du Web environnemental de trois pays sud-américains (Argentine, Brésil, Bolivie) permet de dégager quelques grandes tendances dans la mobilisation qui est faite des données en téléchargement par les acteurs de l’environnement des pays étudiés. Cet article met en évidence le rôle réduit de la « donnée » dans la structuration des webs environnementaux sud-américains, notamment en termes de différenciation des stratégies de communication des acteurs ou de la détermination de l’autorité des sites au sein du web. Cette situation s’observe quel que soit le pays considéré. Au-delà de ce constat, cette recherche confirme l’intérêt heuristique de l’analyse de la place des « données » dans les sites Web, comme méthode d’identification de pratiques émergentes de communication par les acteurs de l’environnement. Plus particulièrement, elle permet une meilleure compréhension de ce que la transition numérique impose comme nouvelles contraintes à l’État en tant qu’acteur autrefois central de la production et la circulation de l’information environnementale. Concurrencé de façon croissante sur le Web dans ce domaine, l’Etat tente de conserver un rôle central dans cette circulation en développant des stratégies de référencement des données publiques et privées, mais aussi de diffusion de données de référence, dans une logique de « soft power » numérique.

Recently, the emergence of a huge amount of digital traces concerning social phenomena has deeply impacted the research on such items. Social scientists are trying to manage these new data and to find out how they can intervene in the study of their research objects. One of the most interesting perspectives that digital traces can open is surely the chance to study a “just-in-time” phenomenon, as it unfolds. This paper aims at analysing how digital traces can affect the research on international media events and at questioning whether, thanks to this new kind of data, it is possible to identify them as they unfold.

The unique and irreplaceable value of cultural heritage has long been recognized. Similarly, the need for accurate and detailed information about heritage for its conservation and management is well understood. Yet the records of our heritage have received less thorough treatment. From the need for heritage repositories, to the steps in creating them, this paper provides a high-level look at digital archives of cultural heritage. Using the evolving UNESCO World Heritage portal as our example, we provide an overview of the requirements for cultural heritage organizations, from planning to design, to deploy, and maintaining a digital repository, emphasizing information specific to the management, monitoring, and conservation of cultural heritage.

The “onlife” condition is a living sphere in which our practical and ethical action do not need to distinguish between informational and non-informational objects. For this reason, in the last twenty years digital technologies have generated a strong interest in the philosophical scenario and, since digital tracking has become a daily routine, it started gathering around itself the work of many philosophers, sociologists, anthropologists and media theorists. The aim of this seventh issue of Azimuth is to stir a philosophical debate in the belief that digital traces can offer a new paradigm starting from which we can re-think Humanism and the human being, its environment and its technical action in the world. In other words, we suggest the possibility a computational turn in philosophy comparable with the computational turn we have seen in many ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ sciences in these last ten or fifteen years.