Against Data (?)
what is data for? why would we want it? Does data teach us about things we cannot know otherwise, is there value in things that are unknowable? The unsayable. How do you trust yourself and your experience, and can this be more important (and tell you more) than raw data? Data collection techniques can feel needy and uncool. Also the sense of datamining puts us in bad company- google, meta. When does an environment where data has value tip into people being incentivised to 'perform' their data. Do we begin to self-instrumentalise. On the other hand, does data make the invisible visible, and therefore contribute to people being seen, and acknowledged?
How do we collect data, and what are the impact of that collection? There are ethics around it. It could break trust, or undermine the work. Is it possible for it to feel like an invitation to collaborate? Sometimes people give bad data, because they want to please you, eg: rating everything 5/5 because they want to be supportive. But this can lead to less nuance. Impact of data collection on artists/companies vs the actual value of that data- often its not worth the time and effort. Ask the question- is this person/org competent to collect data? Do not assume competence.
Is data neutral? Are collection methods neutral? Issues with ACE around timeliness and longevity, useful data may come 10yrs down the line. ACE's tools are not fit for purpose and this is demoralising.
How is value ascertained if the only thing that 'counts' is what can be measured- how do we make space for mystery. Can data even really measure full impact? Its important to remember that data is not necessarily synonymous with evaluation. Evaluation is useful and complex, data is only one part of that, but is elevated to being the primary way of understanding and generating knowledge- this is an epistemological error. Meaning and knowledge and understanding can be created in many way.
Other modes:
observation
'overheards'
BOSI smile tracker
'most significant change'
Astrid Breel's Emergent Value project at University of Bath.
collecting qualitative data is something we would all continue to do.