Content and icon representation via dual icon types in a map interface

A system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• memory having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the system to perform operations comprising:
• causing display on a user device of a map-based graphical user interface (GUI) for a social media application, the map-based GUI including an interactive map of a geographical area;
• and
• causing display on the interactive map of a first type of icon and a second type of icon, wherein:
• the first type of icon comprises a plurality of user icons, each user icon representing a geographic location of a respective user of the social media application, each user icon being displayed at a respective display location on the interactive map determined based at least in part on a most recently updated location of a user device associated with the respective user;
• and
• the second type of icon comprises a plurality of content icons, each content icon representing a geo-anchored collection of location-tagged social media content of the social media application, each content icon being displayed at a geographically fixed display location on the interactive map determined based at least in part on location tag data associated with the location-tagged social media content of the respective geo-anchored collection, each content icon being selectable to facilitate access via the map-based GUI to the location-tagged social media content of the respective geo-anchored collection;
• and
• wherein the first type of icon and the second type of icon have visually distinct shapes, and
• wherein the content icons are ephemeral, each content icon having a respective ephemeral lifetime and being automatically excluded from the interactive map upon expiry of the associated ephemeral lifetime.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause operations comprising:

• causing display on a user device of a map-based graphical user interface (GUI) for a social media application, the map-based GUI including an interactive map of a geographical area;
• and
• causing display on the interactive map of a first type of icon and a second type of icon, wherein:
• the first type of icon comprises a plurality of user icons, each user icon representing a geographic location of a respective user of the social media application, each user icon being displayed at a respective display location on the interactive map determined based at least in part on a most recently updated location of a user device associated with the respective user;
• and
• the second type of icon comprises a plurality of content icons, each content icon representing a geo-anchored collection of location-tagged social media content of the social media application, each content icon being displayed at a geographically fixed display location on the interactive map determined based at least in part on location tag data associated with the location-tagged social media content of the respective geo-anchored collection, each content icon being selectable to facilitate access via the map-based GUI to the location-tagged social media content of the respective geo-anchored collection;
• and
• wherein the first type of icon and the second type of icon have visually distinct shapes, and
• wherein the content icons are ephemeral, each content icon having a respective ephemeral lifetime and being automatically excluded from the interactive map upon expiry of the associated ephemeral lifetime.