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The cost of data: making sense in digital society

Tue 19 October 2021

McGrath Centre

From steps, to clicks, to heartbeats, we have long been quantified. New and emerging kinds of data now promise to help people live better lives, communities to connect more authentically, and governments solve big social problems.

The challenge is that these data—especially social media and other data of our traces of online actions—are rarely transparent to us. There are enormous power imbalances reflected in who can collect and analyse such data, and rarely are they accountable to society.

In this inaugural annual lecture for the 20th anniversary of Cambridge’s Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, Professor Gina Neff raises alarms about the costs of such data to societies, democracies, and the environment. Drawing on years of sociological research on how people make sense of data at work and in their lives, she shows how and when data come to matter entail social, cultural and political decisions. Who counts—and what counts—in our digital society are politically charged and yet urgent questions for our collective future.

This event takes place online and at St Catherine's College, Cambridge.
It is part of CRASSH's 20th anniversary programme and supported by the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at CRASSH.

Cost: free

Enquiries and booking

Please note that booking is required for this event.

Enquiries: Judith Weik Website Email: jw571@cam.ac.uk Telephone: 07717221587

Timing

Live Stream In person

All times

Tue 19 October 2021 5:00PM - 6:30PM

Venue

This event takes place in-person and online.
Address: McGrath Centre
St Catharine's College
Trumpington Street
Cambridge
Cambridgeshire
CB1 2RL