The Effects of Geolocation

This week in New Media 3305, we discussed what geolocation is, how it works, and the effects on advertisers and communications professionals.

What is geolocation?

Technopedia.com defines geolocation as “the process of finding, determining and providing the exact location of a computer, networking device or equipment.” Geolocation relies on GPS, coordinates, and IP addresses to find a device. Geolocation most commonly used to determine the location of a person, not just their device.

Like everything, geolocation has its pros and cons.

Some pro’s of geolocation:

·      Helps connecting for social events

·      Advertising for companies

·      Helps find local news and weather

Some con’s of geolocation:

·      Privacy and personal data rights

·      Can expose people to phishing and identity theft

·      Companies can track your movements

For advertisers and communications professionals, geolocation can be a helpful tool in targeting your ideal audience with location. If you are wanting to reach an audience based on their location to you, geolocation can help you find and send relevant information their way. While geolocation is convenient, it’s important to remember that location does not always tell you everything about who your audience is.

For more on geolocation, check out these articles: 

The Pros and Cons of Using Geolocation in Online Community Engagement

Everything You Need to Know About IP Based Geolocation