2)Conceptual metaphor
How do we connect object or concepts of different categories/types? Metaphor is our frequent way to explain something by others which have parts of commons with the subjects/topics. Source Domain (SD) is the explanation source and Target Domain (TD) is the explained object/idea. SD/TD of metaphor is like signifier/signified in structural linguistics or symbol study, but there are mapping principles between SD/TD in contrast to the arbitrary relationship between signifier/signified. George Lakoff and Mark Johnson coined “conceptual metaphor” to refer to metaphor which is constructed by culture not only by the outline/shape.
As mentioned, Wi-Fi access points and houses own lots of similarities. The similarities are based on functions, entities and qualities (Ahrens : 2001).Functions mean how and what the object works, such as house has “shelter” and “social/geographic position” function and Wi-Fi has “connection” and “provide resource” function. Entities refer to the the parts, for example, house has brick, windows, and doors and Wi-fi has antenna, signal and ports. Qualities are characteristics and traits, including house’s concrete and valuable and Wi-Fi’s wireless and sharing.
The principles of three items are not always the same, and they will strengthen or weaken with social change. The change provide a framework to constitute and arrange what will be emphasized and ignore in metaphor mapping principles. The framework may comes from government, mass media, political trend, economic transformation, and religion.
Above all, although Wi-Fi networks and house owns lots of commons but Wi-Fi landscapes might have the slight/huge differences which are caused by framework. As anthropologist Christopher Tilley (2002) pointed out “[metaphor] is a primary way in which persons and cultures make sense of the world…… to make connections between things as to understand them.”(Tilley 2002: 24-25) Metapgor offer us a cultural/social way to realize what and how Wi-Fi are integrated in our sociey.
Metaphor is a convenient for us to understand describe something we are not familiar or difficult to explain clearly especially abstract ideals or new objects. Wi-Fi is an new object and concept for citizens, so Wi-Fi service providers, advertisement or governments need to adopt familiar object or concept to introduce Wi-fi to the public. Taipei city promote Taipei city-wide Wi-Fi networks as “CyberCity” and Hong Kong government aims to be “Wireless City”. These terms refer to city but the city is not based on geographical space but cyberspace and connection way. New York’s non-profit Wi-Fi advocating organization aims to help “the growth of free, public wireless Internet access in New York City and surrounding areas”. From NYCWireless’ introduction, Wi-Fi’s quality is free and public as human rights to other resource. London “launched” free wifi with ” an advertisement of 15 to 30 seconds in length every 15 minutes.” which represent freedom to internet is not free and all are business. Wi-Fi is not neutral object and technology. Different cities empower Wi-Fi for present particular personalities and functions. Entities are also diverse for separate urban Wi-Fi cities. Taipei’s Wi-Fi boxes are installed as street lights, so the users can see Wi-Fi machine in the middle of roads. In London and Hong Kong, Wi-Fi noticeboard could be found in telephone booths. It seems we can get superman’s power from access to Internet by telephone booths if you have membership or are a service subscriber.
Above all, Wi-Fi networks are embodied metaphors which contains and opetate lots and various of mapping principles in different cities. In the other world, Wi-Fi networks became materialized media which materialized culture, politics and economics by metaphor and it is also the message itself as Marshall McLuhan(1965) proposed “the medium is the message.”
Until now, metaphor and “house societies” theory are helpful for us to realize “Wi-Fi networks are materialized media”. in advance, this characteristics will be highlighted to discuss how the materialized media represent identities and urban personalities. To achieve this target, this paper will create colour-chart Wi-Fi urban landscapes. This is not a engineering or sociological model, though the landscapes are based on both basis. The colour charts are fine art works to produce abstract and conceptual urban Wi-Fi landscape to create a metaphorial and visual images to argue materialized media issue by house society and conceptual metaphor. In the next section, I will introduce technical knowledge to explain how to convert Wi-Fi into a visual and non-geographic map to expand Wi-Fi beyond territory.
, main results and main conclusions.
