I think we need to ask more of a Data, not treat Data as conclusion
I'm actually seeing more and more both social platform posts and media news on TV, that often times the person would immediately take any Data presented/given on the screen as an immediate conclusion. On social platform, it is often also treated as if the data's role is to immediately to fill the person's opinion that feels plausible. It does not really matter where the opinion is truly harmful, because social platform is often where the 'currency' is basically based on how many people share and argue in the comment sections are being featured on everyone's main feed.
There is an entire reason why "Data and Statistics" is it's own curriculum class at my University back then. There is the saying from my professor that still stuck to me even until today:
"You should not treat the data you collected as an immediate conclusion. You should also not treat the data you collected, as an excuse to fill your opinion that may be harmful/incorrect."
I am in no any means, an expert in processing Data and Statistics, however with my experience of having a Fast from Social Media, has allowed me to detect which data is used to sound as if the opinion is plausible.
But I would like to give a different perspective too, because I was taught at my University on how to 'correctly' process data based on your, say research paper. For example, you do X scientific experiment and you get this Y data. It may sound more straightforward, like does it support your hypothesis or not. But here's the thing, what if the data was basically, say, "Here's the data of the People deciding to be childfree, or delaying marriages".
This is where it gets very messy. The news or the radio would make such a fuss over it, as if "the end is near" or some sort. Often times, those kinds of data is treated as a conclusion of what is currently happening and the immediate response from, geezers are like "we need to do something with kids these days to increase the data of people having children and having marriages!"
Honestly, my immediate response to that is this:
Who do you think you are, to control what our lives are supposed to do just to satisfy the numbers and graphs? Our lives should not be dictated by mere numbers and graphs. Also, when say, a child was born, what comes after? Is it now out of question like the fact that the child will grow with proper care?
Also, those kinds of datas are definitely macro-level. So I do believe that the people you actually know may still get married, or even having a child, for example. This is what I meant by, how when we just decide to let data being just a mere conclusion. It can create as if some people in power 'creating/writing a new reality'
So what do I want to offer, a different perspective now? So here's the thing:
As someone who is still, not an expert of processing data 'correctly', we can use the existing data as a start of a discussion in different context instead of just an end-story. Our lives are more than just described in mere metrics. Even I believe, metrics are made in certain set of limitations and specifically intended measurements. That is, kilogram and meters are intended for different kinds of use. Human lives are not, and should not be solely dictated with metrics.
Of course, this is just an offer of a perspective. I am just a human artist and this is my way of writing what I really experience and what I see. And, how I navigate with the world around me.
So thank you for reading, hopefully you find this one interesting. It is truly inspired by my conversation with a friend about fertility rate, that turned into an interesting discussion that I need to put in this blog.
I'll see you on the next one!