Code/space and the challenge of software algorithms
Martin Dodge · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · 2017
This chapter considers the significance of computerisation and digital media in the production of space. The theoretical focus is on understanding the role of software and complex algorithms in automating people’s lives and bringing into being ‘code/space’. These are socio-spatial solutions to human tasks that depend on software to be working as intended. The powerful discourses underpinning the growth and diffusion of software in everyday contexts are outlined, followed by a discussion of ‘software studies’ where scholars are beginning to critically examine the social and cultural impacts of code. Two empirical case studies are then presented, firstly looking at the influences of software in the home and for solving domestic tasks, and secondly in terms of consumer software designed for self-surveillance and being widely used for monitoring bodily performance.