Language, translocality and urban change
Online and offline signage in four Gothenburg neighbourhoods
This article addresses the role of translocal interconnectedness between offline and online spaces by examining the varied
presence of language displays in such spaces. Quantitative findings on language presence in the offline public spaces of four Gothenburg
neighbourhoods are contrasted with the online presence found in three Swedish search portals, and the differences are interpreted in light
of the broader socioeconomic processes of gentrification and segregation. The comparison between online and offline presence allows us to
give a more holistic picture of the neighbourhoods; it reveals, among other things, the presence of semi-public spaces, with a multilingual
presence of commercial enterprises and civil society organizations, and points out that some super-diverse neighbourhoods have more online
than offline presence on search portals. Thus, the often-stereotyped mental picture of these neighbourhoods as being passive, static,
‘segregated’ and ‘problematic’ is challenged.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Theorizing online-offline relationships in relation to gentrification in LL studies
- 3.Four unequal Gothenburg neighbourhoods
- 4.Method and data
- 5.Findings and discussion
- 5.1Online and offline languages in the LL
- 5.2Spatial dynamics in Gamlestaden and Gårdsten
- 5.3Ongoing processes of socioeconomic change in the neighbourhoods
- 5.4New forms of translocal connections
- 6.Conclusions
- Notes
-
References
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