GOOD Magazine “The Data Issue” (Issue 024)

In the digital era, we’re all data-hoarders, armchair statisticians who believe that the more we have, the more accurate our view of the world will be. We’ve come to rely on the data, convinced that they reveal things about us that mere human observation cannot. And in some cases, that’s true. Our expanded ability to track and quantify has yielded new insights into who we are. But the data alone can’t tell the whole story. When we search the numbers, we find reflections of ourselves, glimmers of the world we live in and the lives we lead. We may learn immense amounts from this data, but make no mistake: Our search is what gives it meaning.