Data and its invisible work
Year: 2016
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: In this communication I question the contrast between the image of data as primary material that can seamlessly flow from one place to another and the work that such circulation takes behind-the-scenes, the frictions the data engender, their fragility, and their cost. Of course, following Leigh Star (1999) and Lucy Suchman (1995), one can discuss this paradox by surfacing invisible work. But, drawing on two ethnographic studies (in the back office of a bank, and a start-up that works with French administrations), I argue that such paradox also invites to adopt what Leonelli (2015) calls a "relational framework" regarding data, and then investigate the relationships between what counts as data and what counts as work.
Source: HAL
Author: Jérôme Denis
Institution: Centre de sociologie de l'innovation
Language: English
Subfield: Management Information Systems
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2530538763