The Potential of Locative Mobile Apps for Telling New Stories About Contested Cities

Abstract

This article describes the design of a locative mobile phone app, Rijeka Fiume in Flux, for exploring the past of Rijeka, a city that was historically contested, first between Hungary and Croatia in the 19th century, and then between Italy and Yugoslavia in the 20th century. It evaluates how successfully it disrupts ethno-national narratives about the city’s identity. Modelled on experiential learning and polyvocality, the app seeks to share historical knowledge from multiple perspectives with a broad audience, while also enabling users to explore the past based on their curiosity and experiences moving through the city, provoking engagement with the multifaceted stories of the city. Focus groups with students of different ages, place of residence, and language groups offers useful insights on the potential of such apps to tell new stories about contested heritage. One category of feedback concerns the appeal as well as drawbacks of technology, including the consequences of encountering technical malfunctions, and larger questions concerning the alienating effects of technology. The second concerns the challenges of attracting and maintaining the interest of the intended audience. The third concerns the effects of engaging with the contents of the app. Overall, the feedback confirms the potential of apps to disrupt and create new narratives, while also highlighting specific challenges that require targeted attention in order to develop effective apps.