Online Check-in:a Flowing City Map In Digital Age

The involvement of location media technology enables people to leave footprints in cyberspace while walking in physical space.When using location media to publish,users canbuild a unique media space in a variety of uses through the check-in landmarks,text,pictures and other content published at the same time,which can record the life and imagination everywhere and even express the individual's attitudes and desires.According to the American sociologist Manuel Castor,with the spread of Internet communication technology in various fields of society,human beings have moved from the traditional local space society which was geographical blocked to the network society,the boundaries of the traditional geography were broken and all the organizational elements of society have been flowing.The flowing mapdescribed by online check-ins is not only the distinct symbol of the flowing space,but also through the pause and stress resistance of where everything is flowingin network society,the dual meaning it possesses allows users to recognize the city and space of lifefrom a new perspectivethrough the technology and identity provided by the location media.Based on qualitative research method,in-depth interviews and data analysis,this article exploreshow do users,location media,and urban spaces interact with one another through check-in activitiesin digital age.The findings of the study suggest that locationbased check-ins creates a flowing map of the users by recording their movement trajectories.This map,which reflects the personal image and interest,recreates the physical space on the one hand,and constructs a personal virtual space by creating virtual landmarks.Check-in is also regarded as a new social means and an important way for users to take the initiative in interpersonal communication.However,due to the different social practices of each interviewee,they also have different emphasis on the evaluation of check-in,which reflects the diversified thinking and attitude brought by location media technology.Finally,this article argues that locationbased check-in becomes an intermediary between people and city,it breaks the virtual and actual boundaries of urban space,and changes the way the users experience and recognize of urban space.With emphasis on local at the same time,check-in becomes an important way to build a sense of place.