Defeating Data Apathy

Here's a must-read on why data matter.

http://blog.swivel.com/weblog/2007/07/breaking-the-vi.html

From the article:

It may not be obvious to everyone, but there exists an important problem of data apathy. No one cares about data. And by no one, we mean in the democratic sense.

We hear a lot about the need to get data to the people, and we agree of course. But simply disseminating numbers doesn't make people care.

Good data should affect policy - but politicians don't care because they know their voters don't care. People who vote don't care because data is not engaging, not to mention accessible, usable, and relevant to their lives. ...

Why is the important?

Because if people don't care about data, politicians don't care. Spin and opinion become the new currency - which leads to a cascade of misinformation where discerning fact from fiction is practically impossible. And, yes, the internet is only compounding this problem.

If data doesn't establish itself in new forms of communication in a serious way, the younger generations won't have the tools they need to become well-informed and active citizens.

Read the whole article here.