Before I begin, I would like to consider this short text an ode to the ever loving application Google Maps which I use every day.
I’ve been “silently” contributing to Google Maps through photos and short reviews for almost a decade now. What I mean with silently is just letting my photos taken talk and not even using words to convey something breathtaking, exciting or interesting that I just laid my eyes upon. It’s funny how that is, because I can’t recall another platform where I haven’t used a single word to reach out to the world.
I also tend to think of the contribution as laying a gigantic earth-sized puzzle, it always draws me in even more, leaving me with a feeling of happy when I helped solve someone’s question about something as small as the open hours of my favorite diner.
I would even go as far to say that filling out missing information is almost like detective work. It might require going to my social network for help, quire a spontaneous phone-call or why not try the place out for yourself?
I can’t say I’ve ever felt this connected to a community which is connecting people from all over the world before. But one thing is for sure, I will continue making my impact as a proud local guide!
Best regards
Erik Svensson