POLICY
SARAH WILD: Data feeding frenzy will not solve any problems
We like quick fixes, which is why we like data. It has the added benefit of being an arm’s-length way of dealing with people because dealing with people is messy and difficult — especially if those people have problems. There is this strange idea that somehow, if enough data is collected, we will be able to make beautiful, inclusive and responsive policies, craft conversation-igniting journalism, and save the world. That is just not true. Data will not save us. Ten years ago, the buzzword was "quantum": "quantum drive", "quantum washing powder", "quantum computing". If "quantum" was somewhere in the elevator pitch, you were sorted. This was followed by "green economy", "innovation", "sustainability", "synergy", "machine learning". The latest word to find its way into this cycle of language abuse is "data". "Big data", "data deluge", "data journalism". But how does data actually solve anything?Much has been promised in the name of data, but comparatively little has been achieved. The...
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