Artists and Bankers and Hipsters, Oh My! Mapping Tweets in the New York Metropolitan Region

Ate Poorthuis
Matthew Zook
University of Kentucky

The maps in exhibits 1 and 2 are based on all geotagged tweets sent in the New York metropolitan area (as defined by the extent of the maps) between June 2012 and March 2014. By looking at specific variables within Twitter data (that is, the content of tweets and self-descriptions of Twitter users), we are able visualize the spatial distribution of selected cultural-economic indicators and self-defined identities as manifest in this particular dimension of social media. The first map (exhibit 1) is based on tweets with messages containing the words “hipster” (12,319 tweets referencing a subculture associated with progressive politics, indie rock bands, and pretension) or “bro” (239,412 tweets referencing a phrase strongly associated with a college-age partying demographic). The second map (exhibit 2) compares the location of tweets sent by users who self-identified as “bankers” (19,037 tweets) or “artists” (759,027 tweets). Tweet text and user profiles are free form and individuals are free to choose what information to share. The data are drawn from the DOLLY (Digital OnLine Life and You) project at the University of Kentucky that archives an array of geocoded social media, including tweets.