How cars became mobile spatial media: A geographical political economy of on-board navigation

Abstract

While cars, by definition and necessity, have always been (auto)mobile, they are not often considered, or studied, as media. In light of this, the present article seeks to elucidate the technological, political, and economic forces that have converged to transform cars into mobile spatial media. This article provides a framework to contextualize the nodal role of navigation in creating the conditions for a large-scale disruption in automobile technologies with potentially far-reaching impacts: autonomous navigation. The arguments at the core of this article bring together, and build on, recent theoretical developments in (a) locative media, (b) automobiles as mobile media, and (c) new mapping technologies, practices, and spatial media to provide a coherent perspective of cars as mobile spatial media. Informed by a geographical political economy of navigation, this perspective contributes to our understanding of cars in the context of digital and informational capitalism as these vehicles undergo qualitative transformations catalyzed by increased digital interconnections and comprehensive automation.