A map of the various electrical sockets used across the world.
There are many things people have to worry about when they travel to another country: Are their passports up-to-date? Do they have enough money to convert to a local currency? Will their electrically-powered devices plug in? While the trouble caused by the plug on a toaster not fitting into the wall may not be the most pressing concern when traveling abroad, it is a significant one. There are many “converters” available to buy which allow one type of plug to fit into another type of socket; however, not all of them work with every type of socket. So which converter is the right one to buy? This map appears to answer the question by the socket type(s) used by each country, but it also secretly tells its reader information about the power, both literally and figuratively, countries have. Through the use of stripes, placement of the legend, and color choices, this map illustrates the superior power of the United States compared to other countries.
Little is known about this map. The map was found on the website completeelectrical.biz, although a reverse image search reveals that the map is posted on a variety of different websites, meaning that the exact origin of the map was not determinable. Thus, the cartographer, date of creation, and even the title of the map are all unknown. However, considering the map appears to be made on a computer, it was probably created since 1990. The lack of information regarding the origin of this map makes it difficult to question the actions of the cartographer since his/her interests are unknown. As a result, the map has a bizarre, almost-ethereal credibility, allowing the map to present itself as a purely informative map. This presentation is augmented by its computer-generated origins, since computers do not appear to suffer from human error to the average reader.
Countries which use multiple socket types are presented as second-class to countries which only use a singular type. These countries are represented with horizontal bars going across the country. Many less-economically-developed countries have stripes, whereas most more-economically-developed countries do not. This causes the reader to infer that all countries with horizontal bars are less powerful than those without bars. The aesthetic appeal of the striped countries is also limited, to put it nicely. Since these countries are seen as uglier to the reader, he/she will be less likely to focus on them and instead focus on countries which use only one socket type. In particular, groups of adjacent countries using the same type of socket draw the reader in with their unity. These countries are seen as tightly structured, and therefore powerful, whereas striped countries are seen as loosely structured, and therefore weak.
This map’s legend, if it could be called that, illustrates the superiority of the socket type used by North America over other socket types. The legend consists of images of various socket types scattered all over the map. North America’s socket is labeled “Types A & B.” This name implies superiority as A and B are the first two letters in the alphabet, although it should be noted that the naming system used by the map is an international standard. Socket type A and B’s image is also much further to the left than any of the other images, separated by North and South America. The “leftness” of the image increases the prominence of socket types A and B as they are likely seen first by the left-to-right reading user of the map. The isolation of the image also implies that it is alone in its superiority.
The placement of the legend’s images emphasizes North America’s superiority by de-emphasizing the superiority of the socket types used by North America’s rivals. The images of socket types H, J, and L cover up land while the other images only cover empty space. Type J’s image completely covers Sweden and Denmark. If the reader of the map wants to know what type of socket is used in either country, he/she is out of luck, limiting the map’s potential as a tool. The images for types H and J cover up parts of the world colored in red, which use socket types C, E, and F. Without these images in the way, the amount of red on the map would appear to be significantly more than the amount of blue on the map. However, the images give the appearance that there is actually more blue on the map than red, leading to the reader to believe that socket types A and B are used more than socket types C, E, and F. Of interest is how the countries which use socket types C, E, and F are some of the best-off economically, including most of Eastern Europe as well as Russia. By covering up the sockets used by these countries, the map limits the power which these countries have.
The choice of which colors represent types of sockets sets the United States alone in its power. At first glance, the cartographer seemed to choose colors at random. However, upon a closer inspection of the map, the color choices are deliberate. Socket types A and B are represented with blue, a cool color, while socket types C, E, and F are represented with red, a warm color. These two colors conflict due to their opposing temperatures, and given their prominence on the top half of the map, present the illusion that the two groups of socket types are almost at war with each other. This is an interesting point as the United States, using socket types A and B, and Russia, using socket types C, E, and F, have been long-time rivals. Interestingly, the use of blue to denote the United States and red to denote Russia was a typical convention of Cold War-era maps. Although this is a post-Cold War-era map, these colors remind the reader of the tensions faced during the time period. Since Russia is partially covered by part of the legend whereas the United States is not, the map shows its preference of the United States over Russia. The remaining colors used in the map are all duller than either blue or red, drawing the reader’s eyes towards the blue and red sections of the map. This gives the countries in blue and red more power than other countries as the reader spends more time looking at them. This solidifies these two socket types as the two most influential types, Since the United States, in blue, is seen as more powerful than Russia, in red, the countries using the socket type represented by blue, Types A & B, are the most powerful.
At first glance, this map appears to be an innocuous, informative tool for people to determine which type of sockets to expect to see when they travel to another country. As it turns out, the map is not a very good tool for this purpose, but does emphasize quite literally the power of North America and the United States in particular. Electronic devices require power sockets, and this map illustrates that the world is actually rather disconnected when it comes to being able to use them. Since the socket type used by the United States is superior to others, the United States is surely a front-runner in the electronics industry. With this industry booming, being a front-runner in electronics is equivalent to being a front-runner in power. This map confirms to the reader that the United States is indeed an electronics powerhouse and, as such, is one of the most powerful countries in the world.
Works Cited
McGregor, Conrad. “Plug & socket types.” WorldStandards.eu. http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/ (accessed October 10, 2014).
“International Electrical Outlets.” Complete Electrical Solutions. http://completeelectrical.biz/international-electrical-outlets/ (accessed October 10, 2014).
I thought your analysis of this map was very interesting. My eyes were immediately drawn to not only the two plain and bold colors on the map, but also the colors that represent the viewpoint of the cartographer, given that America’s colors are red, white, and blue. In addition, the stripes that represent the “less powerful” countries are alternating in color between blue and red, which again brings the audience’s attention to those colors on the map, making it appear as if the US and Russia are the two prominent countries and everything else falls below these two. It also establishes their prominence and “influence” over the world, given that their colors are used in the representation of other countries. One thing on this map that surprised me, however, was the projection. While you are correct that the location of the legend(s) makes North America stand out, I found it interesting that the cartographer chose not to place North America in the center of the map. This choice almost makes it appear as if America is less important and the countries in the middle, such as Africa, are more important, which, based on your further analysis, we can infer is not the case. Most importantly, I really enjoyed the comparison of the way “power” is being represented, both literally through the idea of sockets and more figuratively through the broader idea of a country’s power within the world.
What an intriguing map! I was excited to read this blog post even before I saw the map based off of it’s captivating title. After seeing the map and reading your analysis, I see why the map needed a captivating title; its asserting American power. I thought that your critique was concise in the way that it argued that America was both “literally and figuratively” the most powerful nation in the world. I found it especially interesting that the author and date of publication of the map unknown. One would think that with a map that contains such pride in the power of America, the author would want to credit. All in all, the map was a creative, yet understated way to assert America’s “superiority” over its rivals and your critique of it was an exceptional way to expose the biases of the cartographer.