Article: “Visual and Statistical Thinking: Displays of Evidence for Making Decisions” by Edward Tufte (cannot be linked)
“The difference between an excellent analysis and a faulty one can sometimes have momentous consequences.”
While the following quote appears to be vague, I feel that it truly encapsulates the theme for this week. As a historian, your analysis can be hindered by a multitude of factors: where you acquire your source material, what bias is present in your source material, how the data or evidence in the material is displayed, etc.. Social media has presented a new way in which all of the following come into play. While you may find an article that you feel you could use in you research, it could turn out that the source is not reliable. Furthermore, even if aspects of it are true, the author might be known for leaning far right or far left and therefore skewing the true narrative in their writing. Also, graphs and other visuals may look as if they are legit but in reality may leave out key information or are just not set up in a way that reflects the truth of the situation. Keeping all of this in mind, it is important for historians who want to utilize online tools to be aware of the signs of misinformation. However, this should not take away from the fact that there are many benefits to using these tools when they are in fact reliable. Not only do they provide information in a new and engaging way, but they are able to a reach a wider audience.
Article: “The Myth of the Criminal Immigrant”
“As of 2017, according to Gallup polls, almost half of Americans agreed that immigrants make crime worse. But is it true that immigration drives crime? Many studies have shown that it does not.“
This quote raised one major question for me: if there are studies out there that have shown there is no correlation between the rising rate of immigrants and crime, why are so many people convinced there is? Reflecting on this, I think there are a number of answers. For one, many people want to feel the way they feel and do not want their opinions to change. Actively seeking out information that could potentially tell them they are wrong is not something some people would like to do. Furthermore, depending on where you look online, people may see content that reaffirms what they already believe to be true. Why would they dig deeper when the media that is in front of them confirms their original thoughts? Lastly, and arguably the most important, those who truly want answers may not have media literacy. Personally, I was not aware that studies like this are shown online, let alone conducted in the first place. It is even more impressive when you see that the article came from a very reputable source. Overall, this shows how social media (or any media in general) when used correctly can be a valuable place for historians and other answer-seeking individuals to further their education.
Article: “The 34 Best Interactive Data Visualizations from the New York Times”
“The digital medium has allowed them to elevate their storytelling with viz that compels, engages and helps tell a story that goes far beyond words or pictures.”
This quote really stuck out to me as a point for further exploration because I feel this is something that is often forgotten in the field of history. While classes like these are aiming to educate students on how media can further enrich a historians work, there are still those who miss the mark. Educators today, mainly ones that have been in this career for quite some time, did not have the opportunity to take classes like this because there was no media of this caliber at the time. While words and pictures certainly have their place, visuals such as the ones employed by the New York Times are also showing their worth. This must be remembered when teaching a generation different than your own. Furthermore, this quote stuck out to me because I feel as though this is a constantly evolving phenomenon. Many years ago scholars most likely said something just like this, but in regard to a type of media that is seen as outdated by todays standards.
