Week 9 Post

I thought that the article by Uitemark and Boy was of particular interest. Particularly as I found the idea that a city is not only a place, but a merging of ideas regarding a place to be interesting. The idea that the way social media projects a place can describe the identity of a place is something I’ve never truly thought about, but it does make a certain amount of sense. As someone from Los Angeles in particular, I find that it is important to think about how the city is viewed and compare it to how those who live in the city view it. One of the clearest examples for me is the Hollywood Sign in the Hollywood hills. Before the age of fifteen, I had never even been near there. However, later in my life, my family began going there on hikes on Thanksgiving. The first time we did this hike, I began to see the tourist aspect of living in Los Angeles and Hollywood. I think by using Instagram, cities could warp this power into helping out small businesses and local businesses, not just landmarks.