Using a wagon filled with phones, an artist in Berlin demonstrated the disconnect between data and the real world.
Simon Weckert is an artist who traversed the street of Berlin pulling a wagon filled with 99 smartphones connected to Google Maps. The result was a series of maps showing illusory traffic jams and congestion on roads, some of which were empty.
"The maps are their own territory, their own objective reality, not just a reflection of the real world but a branch of it. Weckert was showing us all how data and maps can affect the world they’re meant to chart," writes Matthew Gault.
In addition, data itself is not objective and Weckert’s hacking demonstrates how it can be warped and manipulated, says Gault. According to Weckert, both collecting and analyzing data are activities open to interpretation.
FULL STORY: This Man Created Traffic Jams on Google Maps Using a Red Wagon Full of Phones
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