Innovation
Map Is Canceled!
Has technology made map knowledge obsolete?
“Backpack! Backpack!” For Millennials and Generation Y, that phrase is a trigger to release fond memories of watching the “Dora The Explorer” TV series as a child. In the series, Dora explored the world with her monkey Boots as they traveled from point A to point B. Watching a child explore the outdoors the way Dora did was probably amazing for that generation of kids since they weren’t sent outside to play as much as previous generations.
One tool that Dora used for exploration was the Map. The show uses anthropomorphism to depict Map as an interactive character. It appears in every episode as Dora must read it to reach her destination. Note that Dora has to read it as a paper scroll. It is not depicted as a GPS unit. She memorizes the landmarks on the map, puts away Map into her backpack, and expects her viewers to recall the milestones. At no time is there a device guiding her step-by-step to her destination.
This map memorization method that Dora uses has been a standard for travelers since the dawn of map-making. On long family road trips, I remember reading the paper map for…
