DATA CITIZENSHIP: DATA LITERACIES TO CHALLENGE POWER IMBALANCE

Abstract

In this paper we present the findings from the third phase of our (redacted) project on citizens data literacies. The data literacies framework we developed - Data Citizenship - stemmed from an analysis of recent literature on data and digital literacy combined with ideas from democratic education. In particular, we focus on the power imbalance between citizens and ‘big-tech’ and government entities who access, process and use data about citizens and their networks. We argue that due to its collective, socially contextualised, and people-centred qualities, democratic education provides a useful foundation for future data literacy education and research interventions. Following an extensive literature review (first phase), and then a UK nationally representative survey (phase 2), we have conducted focus groups during Autumn 2020 and Winter 2021 with citizens.