Every day, we’re inundated with a staggering amount of information that continues to grow exponentially. How can we process all these inputs and grasp even a fraction of the available knowledge? In my talk, I’ll offer a personal reflection on information design and its tools for accessing the world’s complexity without necessarily simplifying it. And, why not, I’ll also share how I planned a data-driven visit to my favorite theme park.
Contrary to popular beliefs that depict data as truthful or objective, a data activist navigates the data-sphere from an opposite worldview: data is never neutral, and data visualization is inevitably rhetorical. But don’t worry: this is a feature, not a bug. This talk will focus on the many ways in which data can be used for activism, with a particular focus on data-inspired housing rights initiatives like Inside Airbnb and OCIO Venezia, and the works by the information design studio Sheldon.studio.