Reading Assignment - Six Provocations for Data: Qingyu Cai
In this article, the author mentioned six provocations for data as a new layering of information emerging at that time. I agree with the point that limited access to big data creates new digital divides. It is the same as new technology. With the development of technology, those who are more adaptive to new technology can make it easier to understand and use. However, those who lack knowledge of information will lag behind and gradually become out-of-date in the sense of being segregated. It is also the case in big data time. To solve this problem for those who want to access the data but lack the technique, creating platforms and opportunities for people with different backgrounds to cooperate and communicate with each other will be critical. The new digital era has also begun in more complex and diverse fields, for instance, healthcare informatics and user interface design. And how to use and transform data, including collecting, analyzing, and visualizing, can be collaborative teamwork. When facing new technology, it doesn’t need to be individual work. Instead, it is crucial to have various knowledge inputs during the process in this field. Otherwise, the new digital divide would make human knowledge less valuable than technique.
Besides, I entirely agree with the point that big data doesn’t necessarily mean objectivity and accuracy. On the one hand, as mentioned in the paper, the data itself is not accurate and reliable. On the other hand, analyzing data relies on how the information is interpreted. And it is also the human being who interprets data, which means errors or subject decisions can exist. When dealing with the same data, different people can have various methods with different aims, which leads to different results.