Sandvig: Google Maps is a “strange place where all kinds of things are still happening”

Though the internet is often chaotic, there are few places where one can find a “random and messy” jumble of unfiltered photos, weird reviews and unpackaged content not curated for users. 

Google Maps, argues Atlantic writer Will Peischel, is one of those places on the internet “that lets such a random potpourri collect with easy visibility for users.” 

University of Michigan School of Information professor Christian Sandvig, an expert in algorithms spoke to Peischel about how the platform is working for users who enjoy this form of “unfiltered entertainment.”

Google Maps remains an open door to “strange places where all kinds of things are still happening,” Sandvig says. “There was a period where everyone was excited about a kind of shaggier internet, where everyone could put stuff up. It was this free-for-all. And it definitely feels like it’s going away.” 

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Read “A Refuge From Internet Algorithms Is Hiding in Plain Sight” in The Atlantic. 

Learn more about Sandvig’s research on information policy, ethics and the implications of algorithmic bias through his UMSI faculty profile.