Data Visualization

epistemic, ethical and representational problems

interpretative traditions

culture history

art history

philosophy

truth
evidence
Aristotle: diagram = evidence (mathematics, logic)

Senders Peirce: diagram = logic
diagrammatics: logical reasoning

Latour: diagrams make facts "harder"

epistemic images / images of knowledge

useful/informational/operational

Information graphics and data visualization not only play a mediating role in the production of knowledge, but knowledge is created by being made visible for cognition.

epistemic problems

if our knowledge is based on understanding diagrams, data graphics, data maps and visualizations, we should ask: what is the source of knowledge

Greeks: philosophy/logic/math
Christianity (and other religions): God - logic
Enlightenment/modernism: God/Science/Capitalism
Postmodernism/contemporary thought: Science/Interpretation/Narrative

see: "data is a construction"

using data visualizations

exploratory

explanatory

(re)search
finding
questioning
understanding
learning

explain
persuade
educate
inform
enlight
prove
debunk
propaganda

Oxford Dictionary: explaining = "make an idea or situation clear to someone by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts"

Explanation is never neutral

diagrammatics: visual rhetoric, visual argumentation

rhetorical formulae / logical fallacies

hyperbole, false balance, cherrypicking, ad nauseam, false correlations

criticism

ethical norms

normative rules

don't lie
don't mislead
don't do harm
be transparent
be accountable

graphical excellence

critical data studies and data visualization

The graphic presentation of the data proclaims the ideology of capitalism

the graphical presentation of data can contribute to the perpetuation of existing power structures, social inequalities and stereotypes.

Susan Buck-Morss, Catherine D'Ignazio, Lauren Klein

critical data studies and data visualization

counterdata
missing data
data accessibility

Examples