Monday, January 21, 2013

Homophobia and Racism on Google Maps


When I first heard about Slur Tracker, a real-time Google Map of rude Twitter messages, I thought that it sounded like a lot of fun. Something about the thought of watching a constant stream of insults on a Google Map appeals to my sick sense of humour and love of cartography.

Unfortunately the app just leaves me feeling depressed about the inane stupidity and the homophobic and racist attitudes of many Twitter users. After viewing a succession of little white boys calling each other fags and thinking it's cool to use the N-word I realised I wasn't going stumble upon the wit of someone like Dorothy Parker or Oscar Wilde on Slur Tracker.

This is of course no fault of Slur Tracker, which is a nicely realised and designed real-time Twitter map. Instead I blame my ephebiphobia.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't necessarily work well outside U.S.: 18 hours without a fag so far.

Keir Clarke said...

I don't know. It depends on what he was abstaining from for 18 hours.

Anonymous said...

How about a map that shows migration patterns an the Census over the years as demographics change to give insight into why such views are prevalent.