Why everyone should be data literate | Jordan Morrow | TEDxBoise

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the importance of data literacy in the digital age, equating it to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Data literacy is defined as the ability to read, work with, analyze, and argue with data, skills essential for informed decision-making. The talk encourages curiosity and creativity to enhance data understanding, advocating that everyone, not just data scientists, should develop these skills to navigate the information-rich world effectively.

Takeaways

• 📺 Data literacy is crucial in our digital world where there's instant access to information, and it helps us discern and make informed decisions.
• 🌐 The era we live in is termed the Fourth Industrial Revolution, characterized by a digital world and the ubiquity of technology in everyday life.
• 🧊 Data is often referred to as the new oil, signifying its value, but it needs to be processed and understood to be truly valuable.
• 🔍 Data literacy is not about becoming a data scientist; it's about being comfortable with data to succeed in the digital age.
• 📚 The four key skills of data literacy are the ability to read, work with, analyze, and argue with data.
• 🛒 The script uses the example of buying a refrigerator to illustrate how these data literacy skills can be applied in practical, everyday scenarios.
• 🔖 Reading data involves comprehending the information provided, which is essential for making smart decisions.
• 🔄 Working with data means being comfortable with information and being able to discern hoaxes or misinformation.
• 🔍 Analyzing data goes beyond observation to gain insights and understand the 'why' behind the information.
• 🗣️ Arguing with data involves questioning the information presented and being able to support one's position with facts and data.
• 🤔 The speaker emphasizes the importance of curiosity and creativity in developing data literacy, suggesting that these traits can enhance our ability to understand and utilize data effectively.

Q & A

What is the main topic discussed in the script?

The main topic discussed in the script is data literacy and its importance in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Why is data literacy considered a crucial skill in today's digital world?

Data literacy is considered crucial because it empowers individuals to understand, analyze, and make informed decisions based on the vast amount of data and information available.

What does the author compare data to and why?

The author compares data to oil, highlighting that like oil, data is a valuable asset that needs to be refined and processed by people to extract its value.

What are the four skills that define data literacy according to the script?

The four skills that define data literacy are the ability to read data, work with data, analyze data, and argue with data.

How does the script illustrate the concept of reading data?

The script illustrates reading data by using the example of comparing refrigerators in a store and comprehending the information provided to make an informed purchase.

What does 'working with data' mean in the context of data literacy?

In the context of data literacy, 'working with data' means being comfortable with information when it is presented and being able to discern the truth from misinformation, such as identifying hoaxes.

Can you explain the concept of analyzing data as discussed in the script?

Analyzing data involves going beyond mere observation to gain insights and understanding the 'why' behind the data. It includes asking questions and being comfortable with challenging the information presented.

What is the significance of 'arguing with data' and how is it different from arguing with a salesperson?

Arguing with data means interrogating the information presented, asking questions, and backing up one's position with facts and data. It is different from arguing with a salesperson as it is about critically evaluating the data rather than engaging in a personal dispute.

What are 'The Two Cs of Data Literacy' mentioned in the script and why are they important?

The Two Cs of Data Literacy are Curiosity and Creativity. They are important because curiosity drives the questioning of data, leading to deeper understanding, while creativity allows for the application of human insight in conjunction with data and AI.

How can one start improving their data literacy skills according to the script?

One can start improving their data literacy skills by becoming curious and asking questions about everything, and by using creativity to find insights and understanding in data.

What is the final advice given by the speaker regarding data literacy and success in the digital world?

The final advice given by the speaker is to become data literate as it is a foolproof way of succeeding in the future and in the digital world.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Importance of Data Literacy in the Digital Age

The speaker introduces the concept of data literacy as a crucial skill in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, an era characterized by digital connectivity. They emphasize the ubiquity of digital devices, like smartphones, and the resulting explosion of data. The speaker discusses the value of data, comparing it to oil, and the need for people to refine it to extract its true value. Data literacy is defined as the ability to read, work with, analyze, and argue with data, which is essential for making informed decisions in today's world.

05:03

🛒 Mastering Data Literacy: Skills for Smart Decisions

This paragraph delves into the four key skills of data literacy using the metaphor of purchasing a refrigerator. The first skill is the ability to read data, which involves comprehending the information provided. The second is working with data, which means being comfortable with information as it's presented. The third skill is analyzing data, which is about understanding the 'why' behind the data to gain insights. The final skill is arguing with data, which involves interrogating the information and using it to support a position. The speaker suggests that these skills are not just for personal use but are applicable across various sectors, including business and public service.

10:06

🔍 The Two Cs of Data Literacy: Curiosity and Creativity

In the final paragraph, the speaker presents 'The Two Cs of Data Literacy': Curiosity and Creativity. Curiosity is encouraged as a means to question everything and stay engaged with the information and data we encounter. Creativity is highlighted as a way to leverage the human mind in conjunction with technology and artificial intelligence. The speaker argues that by combining these elements, we can unlock the power of data and information to improve society, business, and personal lives. The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of becoming data literate for success in the digital world.

Keywords

💡Data Literacy

Data literacy is the ability to read, work with, analyze, and argue with data. It is a crucial skill in the digital age, allowing individuals to make informed decisions based on the information presented to them. In the video, data literacy is presented as the key to understanding and navigating the vast amounts of information we encounter daily, such as when choosing a refrigerator or evaluating viral stories on social media.

💡Fourth Industrial Revolution

The Fourth Industrial Revolution refers to the current era characterized by a fusion of technologies that are blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres. In the video, this term is used to describe the digital world we live in, where access to information is instant and ubiquitous, making data literacy essential for everyone.

💡Smart Devices

Smart devices are electronic devices that can connect to the internet and perform various functions beyond their primary purpose. The script uses examples like a touch-screen refrigerator, a dishwasher connected to the internet, and an app-controlled shower to illustrate the extent to which our lives are intertwined with digital technology and the data it generates.

💡Information Overload

Information overload occurs when individuals are exposed to more information than they can process, analyze, or effectively use. The video script discusses how the current era produces so much instant access to information, which can be overwhelming, and emphasizes the need for data literacy to decipher and utilize this information wisely.

💡Data

Data refers to facts and statistics collected to analyze and interpret phenomena. The video script likens data to the 'new oil,' highlighting its value as a resource that needs to be refined to be useful. Data literacy is presented as the means to refine and understand this valuable resource.

💡Data Science

Data science is a field that uses scientific methods, processes, algorithms, and systems to extract knowledge and insights from data. While the video script distinguishes data literacy from data science, it emphasizes that everyone needs to be comfortable with data to succeed in the digital age, not just data scientists.

💡Reading Data

Reading data involves looking at numerical or graphical information and comprehending its meaning. In the context of the video, reading data is the first step in the data literacy process, allowing individuals to understand the information provided, such as the specifications of a refrigerator.

💡Analyzing Data

Analyzing data means examining it carefully to draw conclusions about the information presented. The video script suggests that analyzing data helps individuals move beyond mere observation to gain insights, which is crucial for making informed decisions, such as choosing the right refrigerator based on its features and performance.

💡Arguing with Data

Arguing with data involves using information to support a point of view or decision. In the video, this concept is discussed as a way to interrogate the information presented and to back up one's position with facts and data, which is essential for making well-informed choices.

💡Curiosity

Curiosity is the desire to learn or know more about something or someone. The video speaker encourages viewers to become curious as a first step towards data literacy, suggesting that asking questions is fundamental to understanding and interpreting data.

💡Creativity

Creativity is the use of imagination or original ideas to produce something new and valuable. In the video, creativity is presented as an essential aspect of data literacy, allowing individuals to approach data with an open mind and to find innovative ways to interpret and apply it.

Highlights

The importance of questioning the accuracy of data and information in today's digital world.

The prevalence of skepticism towards media and the need to discern real from fake news.

The analogy of the Momo Challenge to illustrate the impact of viral hoaxes and the necessity to verify stories.

The concept of data literacy as a crucial skill for making informed decisions in the digital age.

The definition of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its implications for our digital lives.

Examples of technology integration in everyday appliances, like smart refrigerators and dishwashers.

The comparison of data to oil, emphasizing its value and the need for refinement to extract insights.

The definition of data literacy as the ability to read, work with, analyze, and argue with data.

The distinction between data literacy and data science, and the accessibility of data literacy to everyone.

The four characteristics of data literacy: reading, working with, analyzing, and arguing with data.

The historical context of the ability to read as a powerful skill, now applied to reading data.

The example of buying a refrigerator to illustrate the practical application of data literacy skills.

The process of analyzing data to move from observation to insight, using the refrigerator example.

The importance of questioning and interrogating data presented to us, as part of data literacy.

The concept of arguing with data to interrogate information and support positions with facts.

The 'Two Cs of Data Literacy': Curiosity and Creativity, as the starting points for developing data literacy.

The role of human creativity in combining with data and AI for a comprehensive understanding of information.

The call to action for individuals to become data literate for personal, societal, and business improvement.

The conclusion that data literacy is key to success in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the digital world.

Transcripts

Translator: L. Lam Reviewer: Lisa Rodriguez

How many of us

have ever been watching the news,

and a story comes on, and we get captivated by it,

and then we start asking questions such as,

"Is this data and information correct?"

Or how many of us

have ever been in a check-out stand, looking at the newspapers and magazines -

and for those that don't know what a newspaper is,

it's printed word, not on social media -

but how many times have we been in that check-out stand

and said, "Nah, that can't be real?"

Or third, turning to social media,

how many of us have ever been on social media

and we see these viral stories that go around

that make us think or worry, kind of like the Momo Challenge,

and then we find out that it's a hoax?

The world we live in today

is producing so much instant access to information.

How do we decipher through it all?

And not only decipher through it all:

how do we take it to make a smart, informed decision?

Now what if I told you

that there is legitimately a skill in the world

that everyone can learn -

and not just learn, but get good at -

that will empower us to understand data and information better

and then to make a data-informed decision?

Sound too good to be true?

I promise it's not.

It is real, and it is accessible to everybody.

And this skill is data literacy.

Now before I jump in to exactly what data literacy is,

I want to set this foundation for us more

so we understand the era and the world that we live in

with technology and information.

Now the time period in which we live

has been called the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Now what in the world does that actually mean?

It means a digital world,

and I think all of us can agree that we live in a very digital world.

In fact, it is very hard-pressed

to find people who don't have a computer in their pocket now, in a smartphone.

To help paint this picture even better,

I'm going to go through a few examples with you

just to show you how connected we are

and how much information is being produced.

The first example:

Did you know that nowadays

you need a refrigerator that has a touchscreen on it?

(Laughter)

And not just has a touchscreen,

but it can play a YouTube video for you, it can tell you the weather.

These things exist, did you know that you need it?

Now, in full disclosure, guess who has one of those?

(Laughter)

Second: Did you know that you need a dishwasher

that connects to your Internet?

Because I can't think of anything

I have ever wanted more when I'm at a movie theater

than to know when my dish-washing cycle is complete.

(Laughter)

Did you know you need that?

Third: Did you know

that it is becoming way too difficult

to turn a knob to turn your shower on?

(Laughter)

That now you can download an app

that can turn the water on and - by golly -

set it to the exact temperature that you want?

Not only that,

but you can have a touchscreen in your shower,

and that mixture of electricity and water -

(Laughter)

Did you know you need that?

The reality is, everything is being connected.

And not just connected: guess what that produces for us?

Data and information.

Now data has been called the new oil,

but I think we need to take a step back from that statement

to understand it better.

Data is this valuable asset,

but just like oil,

it has to go through people and refinement to get value.

This is data literacy.

Now by definition,

data literacy is the ability to read,

work with, analyze, and argue with data -

four skills that reside across a spectrum.

Notice what I did not say:

data literacy is not data science.

Not everyone in this world needs to be data scientist,

but everyone needs to be comfortable with data

to be able to succeed in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

So let's dive through these four skills

to help us understand them better.

And to do that, we are going to imagine

that we all are buying a refrigerator.

Now the principles I'm about to teach and talk through

apply not only in a personal life;

they apply in the public sector,

they apply in business, and they apply in society.

The first characteristic is the ability to read data.

Now imagine that we are going to a store,

and we are looking at all these refrigerators,

and we have no clue which one is going to fit our world the best.

So the first step is

we are going to read the information and data that is provided to us,

and if you were to Google the word "to read":

it means to look at something and comprehend it.

So when we walk into the store and there are 30 refrigerators all over,

hopefully some without a touchscreen,

we can read the information that is given to us,

and comprehend it to make a smarter decision.

Reading data is one of the most powerful things

that can free up our minds in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

If you think back hundreds of years,

did you know it could be a criminal act

to be able to read?

In no way am I saying it will be a criminal act to be able to read data,

but just like it did hundreds of years ago with all of this information around us,

the ability to read it and comprehend it is a key skill.

So back to our refrigerators.

We move along

and we get to the second characteristic of data literacy.

This is the ability to work with data.

Now one might ask themselves,

"Does this mean I have to get good at computer science and statistics

to work with data?"

The answer is no.

It means being comfortable with information

when it is presented to you.

If we think of those viral stories

that go around and they make us uncomfortable,

we become relieved when we find out it's a hoax.

Working and reading with data allows us

to determine it's a hoax before we have to find out.

So when we're buying these refrigerators

and each refrigerator has an information sheet,

we're comfortable taking that and consuming it,

to move along to the third characteristic of the data literacy definition,

and that means to analyze data.

Now what analyzing data does is it gets to the "why?" behind it.

I often say we want to move beyond an observation and get to the insight.

In reality, when a story is going around on social media,

most of the time,

we are making an observation of the information presented to us.

In the case of a refrigerator,

we walk into a store, see 30 refrigerators

and maybe five of them catch our attention:

we made an observation.

We then need to analyze the information about those five refrigerators

so that we can take it in

and find the insight that will lead to a smarter decision.

Analyzing also means being comfortable asking questions.

That's not something that happens too often

with social media in our day and age.

We should be questioning everything.

The fourth piece of the pie

is arguing with data.

Now, a little side note,

I am not encouraging you to go argue with the salesperson

as you try and pick your refrigerator.

Arguing with data means two things.

One: interrogate the information as it is presented to you.

Ask a lot of questions of the salesperson,

interrogate what they're giving you.

The second side of arguing with data and information

is this ability to put a position forward and back it up with information.

So put yourself in my shoes.

Let's say, my wife and I are remodeling and picking out this fridge.

We agree on absolutely everything.

No.

(Laughter)

We each have our position,

and then we argue it and back it up with facts and data

to arrive at the best refrigerator for us.

Four characteristics:

reading, working with, analyzing, and arguing with data

empower us as individuals to make sense of all the information that is out there

and then to make decisions with it.

Now I am asked very often,

"How do I start? What do I do?"

"Do I need to back to school and get good at statistics?"

"Do I need to learn how to code?"

Now I understand greatly, not everyone is as big a nerd as myself.

Not everyone wants to read a statistics textbook -

I promise you I do.

So what do you do to start?

I've coined a phrase that I use called "The Two Cs of Data Literacy."

The first C is I want you to become Curious.

I have five children.

Guess how many questions they ask me on a daily basis?

(Laughter)

And here's the kicker: I never ever want my kids to stop.

I watch their brains working through information and data in front of them,

to come to answers that I could only dream of making myself.

Because for some reason,

when we become adults, our curiosity disappears.

Become curious and ask questions of everything.

That is the start to powerful data literacy.

The second C of data literacy

is Creativity.

There is a lot of hype and a lot of discussion in the world

on what is AI, artificial intelligence, computers, machines

going to do to the future.

We're already in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

We are already living in a digital world,

and I'm here to tell you the most powerful computer that is out there is in here;

it's in our minds.

The human element should never be stripped away from data.

It is a combination of those machines of data and artificial intelligence

combined with the human element.

And remember: those four characteristics are on a spectrum of skills.

But the second C of Creativity allows us to open up our human mind

to something that might seem boring or mundane,

but data and information have power.

Now overall, this world that we're living in truly can be improved

in society, in business, and in our own personal lives,

as we improve ourselves in reading,

working with, analyzing, and arguing with data.

If you want to have a foolproof way of succeeding in the future

and in this digital world

become data literate.

Thank you.

(Applause)