Internet Geographer
Dr. Monica Stephens is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at Humboldt State University. Her research focuses on issues in geographic user-generated content including the gendered divisions in Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI), digital divides, and online censorship of social media. A parallel project includes integrating Social Network Analysis (SNA) with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to understand the integration between spatial networks and online social networks.
Monica blogs with friends at www.FloatingSheep.org
Research
- Geography of Hate
- Follow Thy Neighbor: Connecting the Social and the Spatial on Twitter
- Gender and the GeoWeb: Divisions in the Production of User-Generated Cartographic Information
- Beyond The GeoTag: Situating BigData and Leveraging the Potential of the GeoWeb
- Data Shadows of the Underground Economy
Follow the links above/right for pre-publication versions of the projects.
My doctoral work demonstrated how a shift towards user-generated geographic information for basemaps resulted in a gendered divide in online content. By integrating GIS and SNA I demonstrated that although geographically uneven, social structures developed through online networks of user-generated content are most effective at transmitting information at a local level. My current work surrounds geographies of gender, hate, and censorship online.
Teaching
At Humboldt State University I teach in the Department of Geography. My courses are primarily listed in the Geospatial Studies program and are available to undergraduates, master's students and GSP-certificate students.
GEOG 471--Virtual Landscapes
This course examines the cultural geographies of the internet from digital divides to social practices of the mobile web.
GEOG/GSP 316--Intro to Cartography
Cartographic visualization and map design principles through GIS, Illustrator and web maps. This class includes data classification, color, visual variables, etc..
GEOG/GSP 416--Advanced Cartography
Integrates web-design with cartography to produce anamatied and interactive maps. Students focus on TileMill, GoogleMaps API/Javascript and Python.









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