Data is being created at an exponential rate: http://onesecond.designly.com/

Everyday industry and academics are coming up with novel ways to use this data and the possibilities that it brings are very promising. Bestselling books such as ‘The Signal and the Noise’ and Hollywood blockbusters such as Moneyball are popularizing the use of data. Data has been used to accurately predict elections, help baseball teams win the World Series and even predict which songs will be a number one hit. Data is also revolutionising healthcare not just in a social way so that patients can connect with other patients with similar illnesses (http://www.patientslikeme.com/) but also to digitize healthcare records and offer large scale analytics into what treatments are most effective, possible side effects to certain drugs and the general health of countries.

With great data comes great responsibility
This year a great documentary about personal data and information was released. Terms and Conditions May Apply (2013) is a documentary about uses of personal data and privacy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzyafieRcWE). In light of the media interest in the NSA and the ‘Whistle Blower’ Edward Snowdon, the film explores the potential risks of the huge amounts of information that companies have. From Facebook to your mobile phone bill records (http://www.ted.com/talks/malte_spitz_your_phone_company_is_watching.html) users can be tracked and monitored almost every second. What is clear from the uses of data in such ways is that people need to take more care about disclosing information and that legislation needs to be in place to oppose an Orwellian 1984-like world.

Big is Beautiful
Data isn’t always easy for humans to interpret however data visualisation is an emerging field which aims to convert data into a meaningful picture so that we can understand the important trends in data. The Guardian’s data blog is one such example which aims to tell interesting stories from large data sets (http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog). Two other pioneers in the field are David McCandless and Chris Jordan who use infographics to mould data into masterpieces.

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_mccandless_the_beauty_of_data_visualization.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/chris_jordan_pictures_some_shocking_stats.html

You’ll find out more about this during coverage of the Economy topic later.

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Briefly tell me what your session is going to be about.
My session explores the historical relationship between the Web and political activism. Students are going to see how a particular type of global activism has developed alongside the Web and how each new development in Web technologies can be used by activists to challenge their governments and established political systems. We will also discuss how technology can restrict certain types of political activism, or make it seem less radical.

What are the main aims you want to achieve?
I’d like learners to get thinking about the changes in political society that the Web brings. How it changes our perceptions on the world, our borders and how global networks of activists form. But I would also like students to see that political engagement via the Web is not necessarily always benefiting civic society. How governments choose to react to the challenges of global activist networks and how the technologies currently in vogue influence user behavior can have effects on the development of online activism and therefore of political engagement as well. I’d like learners to be able to consider these challenges and begin to question the directions that the Web is taking us.

Finally I’d like to make learners aware of the different methods that we have in Web Science for researching how groups and individuals use the Web. It isn’t just all big data, we can also go out “into the field” and observe how people interact with technology, and this is one area of the MOOC that I’d like to emphasise.

How will the learners benefit?
Learners will benefit from a concise discussion regarding the role of the Web in activism as they will be able to see how technology and design can shape politics, and vice versa. This understanding, together with the discursive elements of the course, will enable them to engage with one another and discuss the potential future impacts of Web technologies on activism, developing their critical thinking and knowledge in this, currently popular, realm of Web Science.

What excites you most about delivering this session within the Web Science MOOC?
The MOOC is just such a great way for us within the course to engage with people from all walks of life and all parts of the world. It brings the study of a global social system (the Web) to a global audience, who all have different ways of looking at the way the Web is changing society. I’m really excited to hear the MOOC participants reflect on how the Web is influencing (positively or negatively) politics in their country. The discussions that are going to come out of this course are going to be fantastic.

The post Tutor Interview Series: Phil Waddell – Democracy appeared first on Web Science MOOC.

Briefly tell me what your session is going to be about –
My session looks at the Big fuss around Big data and tries to introduce you to the main concepts to answer some relevant questions for yourself. What is big data? Is my data big? Am I missing something if I’m not already investing in BD systems in this economy?

What are the main aims you want to achieve? –
I’d like students to understand the difference between big data and “a lot of data” ( a fairly common misconception) and to be able to question whether the groups they work with may need systems to handle big data any time soon.

How will learners benefit? –
Students may benefit from a mildly skeptical view (as opposed to a big data pitch) including a set of readings that are balanced pro/con regarding Big data rather than a simple assumption that Big data must be applicable

What excites you most about delivering this session within the Web Science MOOC? –
The MOOC allows for a discussion rather than just the delivery of lectures and I hope it will spark interest to read more about the topic beyond the study sessions.

The post Tutor Interview Series: Ian Brown – Economy appeared first on Web Science MOOC.