Defining the Informatic Person: Exploring How Data Relationships Are Created and Negotiated in Informatic Contexts

• In Event: Critical Data Studies: Ethics and Human Contexts of Data Science I

Abstract

Everyday life is informatic in nature, and requires ordinary people to negotiate “patterns of living that emerge from and depend upon access to large data banks and instantaneous transmission of messages" (Hayles 1999:313). This paper explores this negotiation, and suggests an original theoretical framework, that of Informatic Context and Informatic Persons, to capture the dynamics of data present in everyday life. The Informatic Context is the context of data and data technologies in contemporary society, and is defined by the presence of Data Interfaces (that connect individuals to digital contexts), Data Circulation (trends in the movement and storage of data), and Data Abstraction (data manipulation practices). Informatic Persons are those who reside within this context.

The paper uses a unique interpretation of Irwin and Michael’s (2003) STS Theory of Ethno-Epistemic Assemblage to identifies how data creates highly scalable social relationships, that are managed through narratives of control. Digital mediations have the potential to change the scale of relationships, connecting any interactions to broader socio-technical contexts. These relationships are managed through a narrative of control, with Informatic Persons emphasising their heightened capacity for controlling life through the Informatic Context, despite the limitations of individual agency and technology. This presents ethical implications for users and platforms. It raises questions about the agency and responsibility of users and platforms, and the nature of conduct and decision making in the Informatic Context.

Author

• Ashlin Lee, CSIRO/Australian National University