Geolocation-based social networking services such as Foursquare® have been studied from different perspectives in multiple disciplines, and are an increasingly important object in social science research and other theoretical perspectives. Through the multidisciplinary body of research deployed in this Doctoral Thesis and the empirical work with the users of these networks, we try to contribute to several academic fields, including studies of mobility, social communication, sociology, cultural consumption and informatics. Up to 20 attributes and their links with other users were obtained for each user and a quantitative survey was carried out. The results are presented in an accessible way to interested researchers from different fields.
We describe the set of antecedents in which we can locate our research, as well as the state of the art in the subject at the time of writing these pages. A problem with this type of exploration is to make interpretations based on empiricism when working with populations of millions of users. We expose the importance of knowledge of telematic social network platforms, since in a very short time they have penetrated the pores of society even in its most intimate aspects, without sufficient research on the effects of this technological impact. In particular, we emphasize the theoretical currents that approach the question of space and place, that is to say the processes of territorialization mediated by telematic networks.
The central objective of this study is, from the empirical point of view, to take significant steps in the direction of the understanding of this problem of the encounter between an established society and new technology that diffuses through it. In more detail, the objectives that this Doctoral Thesis aims to achieve are focused on three aspects. The first is to evaluate the possible relationship between topological and territorial configurations, that is, how much they can or cannot influence one another, mediated by the uses of Foursquare®. The second has a methodological character, is to establish if we can use simple models already long tested by Social Network Analysis to extract and analyze samples suitable to advance our primary objective. The third objective is to perform an evaluation of the results that allows us to answer the central questions: Can link settings on Foursquare® be related to user group behavior? How much information can be obtained across the boundaries of a telematic social network to enrich research with data from other platforms? Are there key user groups that can guide the social behavior of others? This objective, is a consequence of the previous two, aims to draw conclusions but also to mark inherent problems to a novel object.
This work realizes the computer programs used as well as include those that had to be written to carry out both the taking of the sample and its structuring and interpretation.
The main findings of this study include a detailed analysis of how Foursquare®‘s game and social network elements can affect the territorial distribution of individuals, how users introduce themselves to others through changing locations, how they share Information with multiple social networks and how individuals adapt to design elements to manage their privacy in a new network environment.
Finally, the scope and limits of the research are discussed.
