Exposing the ‘Second Text’ of Maps of the Net

Abstract

Maps have long been recognized as important and powerful modes of visual communication. In this paper \nwe examine critically maps which are being produced to represent and promote information and \ncommunication technologies and the use of cyberspace. Drawing on the approach of map deconstruction \nwe attempt to read and expose the 'second text' of maps of the Net. As such, we examine in detail a number of maps that display, with varying degrees of subtlety, the ideological agendas of \ncyberboosterism and techno-utopianism of their creators. A critical reading of these maps is important \nbecause they are widely reproduced and consumed on the Internet, in business and governmental \nreports, and in the popular press, all too often without a detailed consideration of the deliberate and \nintended messages being communicated. As we illustrate, many of these maps not only promote certain \nideological messages but are often also poor in terms of cartographic design, with many containing \nserious ecological fallacies. We restrict our analyses to maps at the global scale.

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