The web is all around us. The use of mobile phones and location-aware technologies and the ability for people to browse information from wherever they may be, means that physical location has become an important factor in how data is categorized and accessed. This book provides an introduction to the new theory of Net Locality, an emerging form of location awareness, a concept becoming central to cultural production and everyday life.

Net locality is crucial to all aspects of digital media, from mobile phones to online maps to location-based social networks and games. This book describes what happens to individuals and societies when virtually everything is located or locatable and what they can do with this awareness, from organizing impromptu political protests to finding nearby friends and resources. It covers the dangers and affordances that these technologies present, from challenging traditional notions of privacy to the reimagining of urban public space.

Eric Gordon is Associate Professor of New Media at Emerson College in Boston. He is the author of The Urban Spectator: American Concept-cities from Kodak to Google (2010) and he is the director of the Engagement Game Lab, where he designs and studies digital games that enhance local civic engagement.

Adriana de Souza e Silva is Associate Professor at the IT University of Copenhagen in the Design, Culture, Mobility, and Communication (DCMC) research group, and Associate Professor of Communication at North Carolina State University. She is the co-editor (with Daniel M. Sutko) of the book Digital Cityscapes: Merging Digital and Urban Playspaces (2009) and affiliated faculty with the NCSU Digital Games Research Center.