The Social Life of Data

Citizen science is a participatory research practice whereby members of the public contribute to research through sensing, collecting and analysing data. Often citizen science is facilitated by the internet and digital technology including apps and web based games. There are many examples of citizen science initiatives across many disciplines, including projects that address societal or environmental challenges. The rise of citizen science and the increasing use of interactive and emerging technologies to collect, analyse and share data presents new opportunities and challenges for researchers, their institutions and the public creators of these datasets. This presentation looks to the future of publicly engaged research practices and encourages speculation around the challenges, opportunities for impact and potential innovations when data becomes playable and social.