Handmade Data: Reflections on Data Containers. Nikki Stevens

Nikki Stevens examines the shape of digital data in the context of  software creation. Conversations about algorithmic injustice and biased  datasets are meant to point us to the inequitable outcomes that software  systems create.  However, these conversations miss the data model – the  structure that shapes algorithmic affordances and makes biased datasets  possible. In this talk, Stevens describes the powerful impact data  models have on every aspect of information storage and retrieval. They  briefly review alternative methods for storing digital data, and offer a  case study on the ways that data models reflect the ontological and  epistemological frameworks of their creators. Ultimately, they argue  that until we pay careful attention to data models, we will not be able  to reckon with the social impacts of the data we collect.

Calendar invite: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/tZEvcO-vrD0oG9QFHLT2uZYxcSIrLnji43MV/ics

Link to register (Zoom): https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvcO-vrD0oG9QFHLT2uZYxcSIrLnji43MV

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