Conclusions

Abstract

This book has proposed a digital post-phenomenology of place or post-Heideggerian phenomenology where the key notions of placehood in Heidegger’s work (care, attunement, situatedness) are embodied in practices to attune to an information-infused world. These are all necessary conditions for the feeling of place, but no single one is sufficient; the digital post-phenomenology requires a particular mood or towards-which and situatedness, and the condition of a computational environment for this kind of attunement and understanding of place. In the ethnography, mood was found to be the critical element, as users revealed place technologically or dwelled with technology in a Sloterdijkian sphere to reveal place as place poetically. This awareness of place is dwelling (Crandall, 2011: 50). These world-revealing moments arise as users use the device and LBSN in their lives as a means of moving through and navigating the world and the device becomes a focal point for practices in the average everydayness of the user. As a final comment from the ethnography, consider the following:

I know that my friends frequent a certain place even though I’ve never bumped into them there. (FS0510201030)

The use of LBSN allows this user to know where their friends are. In making this comment, the user’s knowledge of their friends location — in real-time — means that they are aware of the social experiences of their friends and have an idea of what occurs in that place despite not “being there” at that time.