Geosocial networking

Geosocial networking (Source: Geralt, goo.gl/qCyPqf, under CC0 Public Domain licence)

Geosocial networking embeds web 2.0 social networking within real-world geographical spaces, encouraging interactions between users who have been, are, will be, or could be in the same locations. It is generally dependent on the use of GPS-enabled mobile smart devices to identify your location, and to geotag your uploaded comments, images or videos to your location, and is thus aligned with mobile learning. It may be facilitated by augmented reality interfaces.

Geosocial networking was originally carried out through dedicated geosocial services like Foursquare (where you could check into, post from and comment on a wide range of real-world locations; the Foursquare company has now reoriented to an industry focus) and Yelp or Zomato (where you could read and contribute restaurant reviews; Yelp has now broadened its services, while Zomato has shifted its focus somewhat and continues mainly in India). Similar functionality is now available on most major web 2.0 services like Facebook, Instagram or TikTok, where users can check into, or tag their posts to, real-world geographical locations.

Geosocial networking permits two main kinds of connections, with the second kind allowing a wide range of specific uses:

• • it can reinforce existing social connections by alerting you when friends or contacts are nearby, or showing you where they have been
  • it can facilitate new social conversations and connections, for example:
    • reading and responding to reviews by previous visitors to a cultural venue or event, and adding your own
    • viewing comments and images by previous diners in a restaurant, and adding your own
    • meeting potential friends or partners with matching profiles or tastes (which is the basis of contemporary dating apps)

From an educational point of view, there is potentially value in reading and responding to the comments of previous visitors to cultural venues or events, and in engaging with past, present and even future teachers and students in conversations which stretch across time but remain tagged to given geographical locations. This might include, for instance, students sharing information and tips about everyday life on campus. (It is important to bear in mind, however, that usage of general social media services by school-age students is subject to age restrictions; for more details, see the Digital Safety & Wellness page). Some augmented reality learning trails or games also encourage spatially localised, temporally distributed educational conversations.

Last update: February 2026.