Inizia a contare: il potere e i limiti dei dati nello svelare il mondo | Donata Columbro | TEDxCuneo

Summary

The video script discusses the power and limitations of data in shaping our understanding of the world. It starts with a famous quote by William Edward Hemmings, emphasizing the importance of solid, rigorous data over subjective opinions. The speaker shares personal stories of how data collection, through a fitness tracker and GPS, provided insights into her activities and training for a marathon. However, she also acknowledges the limitations of data, such as the human error in collection and the biases that can influence what data is gathered and how it's interpreted. The script highlights the role of data in revealing unnoticed realities, such as the risks women face in their daily lives or the gender disparities in the workplace. It introduces the concept of 'Data Feminism,' an approach that considers the interconnections of various forms of injustice and uses data practices to challenge systemic oppression. The speaker calls for a careful and conscious analysis of data, advocating for diversity in data teams and the importance of addressing uncomfortable topics. The summary concludes with a call to action to critically engage with data, verify sources, and understand the motivations behind data collection and dissemination to contribute to a better world.

Takeaways

• 📊 **Data vs. Opinions**: The importance of using data to counter subjective opinions and emotions, as highlighted by the quote often misattributed to William Edward Hemmings.
• 🏃‍♀️ **Quantifying Personal Experiences**: The speaker's personal use of a fitness tracker to quantify her travels and training for a marathon, revealing unexpected insights.
• 🌎 **Context Matters**: Data provides only a part of the story; context is crucial for understanding the whole picture, such as the different experiences of women in various countries.
• 🚫 **Limits of Data**: Data collection is not neutral and is subject to human error, biases, and the choices made on what to measure and quantify.
• 👀 **Revealing the Unseen**: Data can expose issues that were previously invisible or not considered, such as gender disparities in sports or workplace.
• 🎬 **Representation in Media**: The example of how precise data analysis led to a more balanced gender representation in a Disney Pixar movie.
• 🤰 **Impact of Motherhood on Earnings**: Personal and national data showing the negative impact of motherhood on women's earnings and employment.
• 📈 **Power of Data in Identifying Issues**: Companies that collect gender disparity data are more likely to invest in gender equality and offer family-friendly policies.
• 🧐 **Choice of Data Collection**: The act of choosing what data to collect is a decision that reflects our individual stories, backgrounds, and the context we are in.
• 🌈 **Data Feminism**: An approach that uses data practices to challenge systemic oppressions by considering the limits of data and aiming for a more equitable and inclusive society.
• 📉 **Human Error in Data**: The potential for mistakes in data collection, such as manually entering information or failing to record data consistently.

Q & A

What is the significance of the quote 'without data you are just another person with an opinion' often attributed to William Edward Hemmings?

The quote emphasizes the importance of data in providing a solid, rigorous, and reliable basis for arguments or decisions, as opposed to subjective and potentially volatile personal opinions.

How did the speaker use a fitness tracker to quantify her travel experience in Mexico?

The speaker wore a step counter bracelet daily, which allowed her to visualize her movements and compare the physical activity of visiting archaeological sites to that of a day spent at a shopping mall or navigating an airport.

What did the speaker discover about her running training data when she used a more sophisticated GPS device?

She found that during her training for her first marathon, she had only covered an average of 25 km per week, which was less than she initially thought. This realization prompted her to visualize her data and understand her performance better.

How did data visualization help the speaker understand the impact of motherhood on her income?

After reading a statistic about the income difference between mothers and non-mothers, she analyzed her own income post-childbirth and discovered a significant drop in her earnings, which was still not at the same level as before her first child was born.

What is the 'Data Feminism' approach and how does it address the limitations of data?

Data Feminism is an approach that uses data collection, analysis, cleaning, and visualization practices to challenge systemic oppressions, considering data limitations as part of the process. It is intersectional, addressing injustices and forms of exclusion like sexism, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and transphobia as interconnected elements.

How did the speaker's personal experience with a sprained ankle and an influenza affect her marathon training data?

These personal incidents led to justified breaks in her training, which were reflected in her data as periods of lower activity. This helped her understand the context behind the numbers and the importance of considering personal circumstances.

What role did the speaker's personal interest play in her analysis of data related to maternity and work?

Her personal interest in the subject, driven by her experience as a mother, made her notice and analyze a situation that affects many women, highlighting the impact of motherhood on employment and income.

How did the speaker use data to highlight the issue of gender disparity in the workplace?

She referred to the Gender and Quality Index by Bloomberg, which measures companies' performance in terms of gender data transparency. Companies that collect data on internal gender disparities and invest in gender equality are more likely to offer financial support for childcare and implement gender parity requirements in management roles.

What is one example of how data can reveal invisible societal issues?

The speaker mentioned creating a map for the International Day against Violence towards Women to illustrate the precautions women take when leaving their homes, which made visible situations of concern that might not have been previously acknowledged.

How did the speaker's analysis of the movie 'Cars' contribute to gender equality in Disney Pixar films?

A Pixar employee noticed that the majority of the jokes in 'Cars' were given to male characters. By creating tables to show these numbers to creative teams during the film's production, the situation improved, and the subsequent film achieved gender parity in the distribution of jokes among characters.

What is the importance of considering the context and the limitations of data when interpreting it?

Data provides only a partial view of the story, and the context is equally important. Limitations such as human error, biases, and the choice of what data to collect can affect the interpretation. Being aware of these limitations and the context helps in forming a more accurate and complete understanding of the situation.