Wielding data.
In the Better Lives project for Fashion Journalism, I had the opportunity to explore how data was used to report on the event of the Women’s March. Over the first two sessions, we got to analyse the data to understand its potential use, as well as to see what it reflects of the event.
We are surrounded with data in our everyday lives. Almost every piece of news or discussion has got data in it. Data does not lie, it is good evidence that makes any statement become more believable and convincing. But in our sessions, I also recognised how data could be used to direct its viewers towards specific topics, for better or worse. Data on the Women’s March, for example, can be encouraging, where we see many women took action in certain locations, nonetheless, when dissected, it can reveal how these many women represented only a certain demographic, such as middle class women, which could be off-putting. Having delved into further investigation, I discovered that the movement behind the Women’s March eventually fell apart. And the data implies the reason behind its downfall – the movement involved many different demographics. At first sight it may seem a celebration of diversity, but in reality, misalignment between these demographics lead to the movement’s downfall.
Despite being factual, when we put data in different perspectives, it conveys different stories. And I realised that it is important that data, or any other tool in any career, should be wielded responsibly, where they might hold impact on society.
Through this bit of the project, it becomes clear to me how the Better Lives themes are relevant in our future career, and even in wider life. I have realised how social responsibility is imperative in fashion practice, or any other, because it is what would drive the industry towards the better or the worse. Since realising from this project how there are many sides there can be to a topic, it drives me, as a Fashion Practices and Criticism student, to always be critical and expose the potentials behind any practice in the fashion industry.
Reference:
Frostenson, S., 2017. The Women’s Marches May Have Been The Largest Demonstration In US History. [online] Vox. Available at: <https://www.vox.com/2017/1/22/14350808/womens-marches-largest-demonstration-us-history-map> [Accessed 26 March 2020].