About socialsphere
The phenomenon of social media now touches all areas of life, and services like Facebook or Twitter are the focus of attention. Some 76% of people in Germany use these and other social media services. But the knowledge of social media is still unevenly spread, which leads to skepticism and larger-than-life expectations.
In the Autostadt's socialsphere, social media is not regarded as a "fundamental" revolution as it is so often described. The focus is on conversations that take place via internet every day, every minute, and every second. Because these statements, conclusions and comments from countless users – and not the technical achievements – are what make social media so fascinating.
Instead of a purely virtual installation, socialsphere is an accessible, and thus experiential space in the Autostadt CustomerCenter. It consists of seven stations with interactive visualizations of internet conversations pertaining to the Autostadt, Volkswagen or mobility. Fed with real data from the internet, the stations are subject to constant change, offering direct insight into the digital discussions taking place at any given moment. Like the "live" web, the socialsphere is in a constant state of change.
The socialsphere visualizations will be periodically renewed and revised to reflect the rapid developments on the internet. Instead of a finished installation or exhibition, socialsphere is a platform – also in a spatial sense – for continuously dealing with the opinions expressed on the net and the phenomenon of social media.
Panoramas
More than 200 million people around the world use Twitter, a short message service that enables users to post messages (tweets) of up to 140 characters. This map shows the latest tweets sent from the Autostadt and surrounding area. You can move the map section and use the buttons to zoom in and out.
Snapshots
Several billion photos from across the world are posted on the internet every month. This photo album shows the most recent images uploaded by Autostadt visitors to the Flickr photo platform. When you select an image, the photographer, title and description will appear.
Purchase decisions
Volkswagen sold 7.2 million vehicles worldwide last year, an average of 13 units per minute. Many buyers use the internet to obtain information in advance, ask questions and discuss issues – and proudly announce their purchase decisions. The globe shows tweets from users around the world who are thinking about buying a new Volkswagen. Move your fingers to speed up or slow down the rotation.
Quizzes
How many vehicle models can you name? This quiz lets you test your knowledge based on user-generated images posted on the Flickr photo platform. If your answer is correct, the name of the photographer along with the title and description of the photo will appear.
Motion sensor
Different modes of transport, different emotions: This visualization randomly combines current statements from Twitter and Flickr photos into word-image collages with to racing, cycling, flying or driving themes.
Travel plans
Location-based services social are becoming increasingly popular on the net. On the Foursquare platform, users can share their current location with friends (check-in). Here you can see worldwide check-ins at airports and train stations. Select a region to zoom in.
Tag clouds
The tag cloud shows words that have been strongly associated on Twitter in the last seven days, i.e. words that occur frequently in the same message. The stronger the association, the larger the corresponding word. Select a word to generate a new tag cloud around that term.
