What is Data Narrative?
Data Narrative is a field of study that concerns itself with the necessity of high-level story telling and rhetorical skills to meet increasingly complicated Data Analysis questions. It hopes to maximize information fluency by translating mathematical figures into the story of our lives.
It strives to bring meaning to the data we create and collect.
Why is Data Narrative crucial to learning how to write?
Engaging with data fosters critical rhetorical skills. We expect our students to engage and work with primary sources, but don’t give them the tools to understand how primary sources are created. Because of this, students frequently write in a linear way. Whatever sources students find, they use, usually in blind agreement. There isn’t much recursive writing.
Why is this skill necessary for the 21st century student?
The video below covers two of the most critical reasons Data Narratives, as a field of study, is increasingly important for the 21st century Digital Citizen.
Data Deluge
The term which describes the shear mass of information being created, collected, curated. The fact of the matter is that this information will be used and it’s increasingly important that every day citizens understand why and how it is used and manipulated.
Information Asymmetry
This term describes the scenario where one party in a business transaction has more or better information than the other, creating an uneven power dynamic. This can apply to every day business transactions between two business entities, or the way businesses may manipulate people using their own data without their real informed consent.