ODI Fridays: Narratives and nuance – creative ways to engage ‘the people’ in data issues

Data affects everyone. How it is collected, used and shared can have huge impacts – both direct and indirect – on people’s lives. Data and its (mis)use shape how companies profit, how we consume, even how governments see and serve their populations. But while some organisations are speaking more about responsible data and ethics, many members of the public still aren’t engaged. They see it as boring, dry or too technical to understand – let alone something they can have any real agency over. This is not their fault, but is often because they have not had enough opportunities to meaningfully engage. This needs to change. In this lecture, Anna Scott will talk through creative approaches to engaging people in data issues – from illustrated reports to artworks, games to shadow puppets. She’ll talk about the importance of embedding nuance and asking open-ended questions, inviting audiences to actively form their perspectives and seek more agency. Anna will also make recommendations for people looking to apply these approaches, from putting message before format to enabling good design. About the speaker Anna Scott is a content strategist, trainer and storyteller, specialising in data ethics and rights issues. She works with clients on finding creative, compelling ways to meaningfully engage people in data and tech, giving them more agency and choice for a better, fairer future. Anna used to be Head of Content at the Open Data Institute.