elocations

Elocations are a fictional concept used in speculative fiction and theoretical discussions to describe discrete loci that function as relocation nodes. An elocation is imagined as a portable anchor that encodes a specific position within a defined space, whether physical, virtual, or hybrid. In typical treatments, objects, people, or data can be anchored to an elocation and then reconstituted at a corresponding target elocation within a network or grid. The concept emphasizes location identity and the rules that govern transfer between elocations.

The term emerged in late 20th-century science fiction and has since appeared in various works as a device to explore mobility, privacy, and control of space. It is not part of established physics and has no empirical validation. In fiction, elocations enable rapid travel, instantaneous relocation, or seamless data migration, often raising questions about consent, safety, and inequality.

Variants include private elocations owned by individuals, public elocation infrastructures managed by institutions, and hybrid forms used in augmented or mixed-reality settings. Some narratives distinguish between physical-elocation transfer and digital- or memory-based relocation, creating different implications for identity and continuity.

Scholars commonly treat elocations as metaphor or thought experiment rather than a realizable technology. Critics point out that the concept can compress complex problems—such as localization, energy accounting, and material reassembly—into a simple transfer, potentially obscuring real-world challenges.