ABSTRACT
There are more and more sites on the Internet which include visual representations of material, ‘real places’. Some of the so-called webcams promote the images of cities being an increasingly important place marketing tool. The most iconic tourist cities especially provide images that aim to give these material places new meaning in the virtual space. Other sites include privately run ‘home webcams’ which present the daily lives of individuals. Furthermore, there is a range of webcams presenting various semi-public spaces; one can click into hairdressers’ saloons, bars and cafes, taxi cars driving around, zoos, or have a look at nature reserves, beaches, slalom resorts, etc. (see Koskela 2004). Apart from being part of the virtual realm, webcams give new meanings to real places, add to them a new layer of interpretations, and link the virtual and material worlds in a fascinating way, and they are yet to be fully understood (e.g. Knight 2000; Jimroglou 2001; Terranova 2001; Burgin 2002; Campanella 2004).
