In this thematic issue of the Revue Netcom, our interest principally focuses on the notion of urban commons, and in this framework, on the specific place of digital equipment which supports them, accompanies them and makes them possible. These digital devices are not just hardware investments specific to the information society. The network infrastructures and their dedicated devices as well as the objects connected (smartphones, computers, GPS, cameras, various sensors, etc.) build on a whole set of “collective cognitive devices” (Orléan, 2004) contributing to the appearance of dematerialised service-based applications and developing increasingly sophisticated utilisations. Remote platforms and services should also be considered as infrastructure and equipment in that they enable interaction between different terminals and their users (social networks) or mobile access to information and services (cloud computing).
The objective of this issue is to gain a better understanding of the phenomena of collective actions supported or made possible by digital technology. What new forms of sharing have emerged within urban territories? Which former urban commons have been reactivated with this digital contribution? To what extent can digital technology relate to a certain form of departure from the traditional urban commons?
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