The culture of data and predictive algorithms

Data & algorithms · Research collection

Data has become an ethical, political, technical and economic question at the centre of culture and the creative industries.

This resource theme examines the growth of personal, open and predictive data practices. It considers how information is collected, interpreted and circulated, and how those processes influence cultural discovery, participation and decision-making.

The collection also asks what it means to build a shared data culture. Citizens are not only sources of information: they are participants whose rights, expectations and lived experience should inform the systems that affect them.

Culture’s role in a data society

Cultural institutions and creative organisations have a dual responsibility. Within their own operations, they can collect and use information transparently to understand audiences and improve access. Beyond their organisations, they can help people encounter the social and cultural questions raised by data.

• Inside institutions: develop clear, proportionate and transparent approaches to collecting and using data.
• Across society: explain the opportunities and limits of data-driven systems and support informed public discussion.

These questions connect innovation with cultural diversity, privacy, access and the public value of institutions. They also invite a closer look at the assumptions built into predictive algorithms and the consequences of using them in everyday life.

Works in this collection