The Best TED Talks About Contextualizing Data

By: Anna Cave

Because data means nothing if we don't share the story behind it.

What do we do with all this big data? | Susan Etlinger | 2014 | 12:15
Etlinger emphasizes that though the access we have to data in this day and age is impressive, we must not sit passively and let it control us. We shape the role in which technology plays in our lives, and there is an apparent need for us as humans to be active in the use of data. Data tell us a lot, but it is not able to give us the full story behind it. Assessments using only data can tend to overvalue one metric while undervaluing another, so it is important that we have humans looking at the data and giving it the context that no machine will ever be able to do. 

The human insights missing from big data | Tricia Wang | 2016 | 16:04
Wang uses her experience at Nokia to emphasize the importance of contextualizing data in a truthful way. Data can be interpreted to fit any narrative, and lots of times businesses use this to support their existing business models. Some businesses don't want to face the fact that they may need to make some changes, so instead they look for places in the data that allow them to continue on their same path. Wang shared the importance through the lens of business of not letting data stand alone because it is the context and narratives that humans bring to it that make it a powerful tool. 

The upside of data | Jessica Donohue | 2013 | 12:04
Donohue shares her interpretation of big data and the lessons she's learned to help harness it. To Donohue, big data "is just the acknowledgement that we are surrounded by data." It is what we do with the data that ends up making a difference, not just having it. One of the rules Donohue emphasized is that data needs humans: we can gather data all we want, but without people to analyze and communicate its meaning to others, it does not serve much of a purpose.