Your software has opinions — here’s how to spot them

In July of this year, Facebook made a small design change that reflected a large shift in perspective. On both the desktop and the mobile app the globe icon in the blue bar became dynamic rather than static, reflecting your position on the planet. If you were logging on to Facebook from Jakarta, North America was no longer the default view.

Why should such a small change matter? Mapmakers have known for centuries that whoever draws the map, defines the perspective. …

Read the rest of Check Your Normative Defaults over at Medium.