Princeton Societal AI: Data Are Made, Not Found - A Talk with danah boyd

Join us in person to hear danah boyd explore how data are shaped by people and society, not simply discovered.
About this Event

Princeton Societal AI: A Talk with danah boyd

Join danah boyd in person for “Data Are Made, Not Found”, part of Princeton Societal AI.

Data Are Made, Not Found

In the United States, the census is democracy’s data. These data make politics - and politics make these data. “Data Are Made, Not Found” tells the story of what it took for the US Census Bureau to make its canonical data in 2020, amidst a pandemic, natural disasters, and political pressure. The making of these data is more than meets the eye. After all, what do government officials do when people refuse to participate or when workers submit fabricated data? And how does the government balance the competing goals of publishing as much data as possible without inadvertently breaching the confidentiality of the public? To complicate matters, government officials must navigate “Jenga politics” as both well-intended and malevolent actors try to achieve their goals by weakening the administrative state and putting pressure on a wobbly structure. Civil servants do their best to keep the tower from collapsing, but the precarity is real. In this talk, danah boyd will discuss what it takes to make democracy’s data - and what those who care about data and democracy should understand about the complexities of making high-stakes data.

danah boyd is the Geri Gay Professor of Communication at . Dr. boyd’s research focuses on the intersection of technology and society. Her latest book is an ethnography of the US Census Bureau, Jenga politics, and the struggle to make democracy’s data in 2020. Her first monograph examines young people’s relationship to social media. Dr. boyd founded , where she currently serves as an advisor. She is currently a fellow of , a , a non-residential fellow at the , a trustee of the , a member of the , and on the advisory boards of . She was also a founding director of , a mental health organization that serves people in crisis. She received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Brown University, a master’s degree from MIT Media Lab, and a Ph.D in Information from the University of California, Berkeley.

Lunch will be available beginning at 11:50 a.m.

Books by danah boyd will be available for purchase.