Mapping and Connectivism

I was really intrigued by Maria Korolov's recent post about mapping in virtual worlds. It just tickles my brain the way she has combined social media with geography.
In case you didn't know, I am an old-time virtual worlds resident, and am very used to the way we get around there.  In Second Life we have a huge world map and we consult it for coordinates to find each other.  I like the link between the virtual and the actual when using these maps; everything is set out spatially, and you can just click on the map to get there.  Just like home, although you can still get lost.

Second Life mainland

 Now Maria has come up with this idea for Open Sim that I think is brilliant: why not make different maps according to the user's needs?  After all, the world is virtual.  Why not have a map that shows the world as you see it?  Instead of living in far-flung corners of the digital world, your friends would show up as neighbours.  You could even have different maps, one for friends, one for work...  You see where I am going with this.

The hypergrid in OpenSim offers a range of
possibilities for connection.

A map, after all, is not socially neutral.  It can be hierarchical, with less-valued residents consigned to the cheaper and less fashionable virtual "boondocks."  In remaking our maps we would contest the way the map makers see the world. This is particularly important when we contrast the hierarchical nature of the company that runs Second Life with the much more collaborative community in Open Sim.

Remaking our maps is also a way to prioritize the information that comes to us, making it easier to assimilate.  In addition, the world maps of our friends and neighbours wouldn't necessarily coincide with our own, and would help us receive information from other networks. It's a way to see social connectivity in a very concrete form.

Going to think a little more about this.