Making the Invisible Visible: The Phenomenon of Data Visualization as a Framework to Understand How Software Shapes the Imaginary and the Image.

In today's society the use of new technologies for data visualizations is becoming increasingly widespread. This article seeks neither to give a complete view of its history nor an exhaustive definition of the phenomenon of data visualization. This article takes a new perspective on data visualizati...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Techné: Research in Philosophy & Technology Vol. 25; no. 2; pp. 208 - 233
Autor principal: Possati, Luca M.
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Philosophy Documentation Center 2021
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:In today's society the use of new technologies for data visualizations is becoming increasingly widespread. This article seeks neither to give a complete view of its history nor an exhaustive definition of the phenomenon of data visualization. This article takes a new perspective on data visualization by dealing only with a new type of data visualizations, those based on "Big Data" and AI systems. This perspective is completely different from existing ones. Therefore, I explore three main theses: (a) that AI systems applied to large amounts of data that we cannot directly know (so-called "Big Data") can create "living" and interactive images with a multifaceted nature and efficacy (epistemic, phenomenal, and subjective); (b) that this new type of data visualizations is deeply linked to the so-called "iconic turn" trend in the field of social sciences because many of the theses of the "iconic turn" are confirmed and even reinforced by these data visualizations; (c) that through the production of "living" images, digital technologies demonstrate their ability to re-define and re-configure our experience and re-ontologize reality by creating new entities requiring new philosophical tools to be fully understood. I focus mainly on this third thesis by stressing the hermeneutical function of data visualization.