In this and the following episodes, we will be talking about data and algorithms with a special focus on their uses in and effects on politics. In this episode, we start with data.

Data collected with and on digital devices make new phenomena, objects, and behaviors visible to those with access to that data. Digital technology has extended the amount and depth of data on human behavior and social systems. This has been seen by some as a measurement revolution for the social sciences and as providing many new avenues to knowledge as well as new business opportunities. Still, these data riches have to be translated into meaningful measures of phenomena of interest and society. Without meaningful interpretation these new data remain noise machines, potentially even hiding the signal one is looking for in order to gain understanding or improvement.

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction
00:21 - Data and algorithms in society
04:17 - Data and measurement
08:37 - Big data
14:10 - Data and control
19:46 - Metrics
24:53 - Conclusion

Script to episode with references and further readings:

http://digitalmedia.andreasjungherr.de/docs/data-algos/data-algos_intro.html