So, there’s a lot of talk about data literacy these days, but what is it, and what does it mean?
Well, of course, it depends who you ask! The research and advisory firm Gartner define it as:
the ability to read, write and communicate data in context, including an understanding of data sources and constructs, analytical methods and techniques applied — and the ability to describe the use case, application and resulting value.
Kasey Panetta, Gartner, February 2019
I quite like this one, so we’ll go with it. The most important part is the last part, about how you can actually use and communicate the conclusions that you draw from your data. That is what a lot of the content on this website is about.
Is this a new thing?
No, but the approach has changed.
Until recently, the emphasis was on technical skills, and today if you use the word “data” people will quite naturally think of databases, management information, spreadsheets, dashboards, and graphs. If you don’t know about SQL and data normalisation, then you’re not a real data geek.
Nowadays, there are a lot of systems around that do a lot of the actual “grunt-work” for you, and keep a lot of the heavy-duty technical aspects under the bonnet, or inside the black box, so a lot of information comes out of these things and is presented ready-wrapped to business owners and operators.
This has two effects – first, it makes information much more accessible, and empowers smaller businesses to make use of methods previously only available to larger, better-resourced operations with dedicated people to do this sort of thing. This is a good thing.
Second, it means that information can be cheapened by being too easily available with minimal effort, and may be trusted without justification as it has come out of a computer, or it may be put into the hands of people who simply don’t understand it, or question it. This is a bad thing.