The Problem With 'Areas of Interest' on Google Maps

Maps often feel like objective representations of the world, especially in an era when GPS and GIS technologies underpin so many fundamental tools of daily life. When I summon a Lyft, check Google Maps for directions, and search Yelp for a bar, I don’t give much thought to the layers of subjectivities—what streets are labeled, what landmarks are shown—resting in my palm. But that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Google Maps, maybe the most ubiquitous navigation tool on the planet, rolled out a suite of changes last week. Mostly these were aesthetic tweaks aimed at a cleaner map-reading experience. But one new feature is substantial. In a shade of pale orange, Google Maps now highlights “areas of interest,” or “places where there’s a lot of activities and things to do,” determined by “an algorithmic process that allows us to highlight the areas with the highest concentration of restaurants, bars and shops,” according to the company’s blog.