Visualizing Ourselves... with Crowd-Sourced Data with Aaron Koblin (TED Talk)

by Lily Frame

In this TED talk,  Aaron Koblin presents the cultural trends and changing relationship between humans and technology from generated data and digital technologies which derive from results of the real-world and communities around us. Koblin specializes in data and digital technologies such as interfaces. An interface is a device or program enabling a user to communicate with a computer. He believes data can make us more human-- a statement I initially disagreed with because how could modern technology possibly make us more human? In fact, I thought it made us less human because we have become in tuned with the world of social media and shut out the world around us. I now believe every human is intertwined with the rest of society without even realizing it. I was wrong to doubt great visual stories could be told through data.

I have a theory Aaron Koblin is an anthropologist filmmaker because he transforms the data and different contributions he collects into a product of human behavior. Visually, I was transfixed by the results of Flight Pattern, The Sheep Market, and his SMS examples. This world of data and interfaces can be intimidating for those like myself whose kryptonite are scientific areas of study. Koblin has physically taken me out of my comfort zone and has placed my educational anxieties into an art form to tell a beautiful story about the world around him. He has has artistically freed me from my fears and has allowed me to explore data as a means for storytelling. I feel obligated to tell captivating stories whether it be narratively or experimentally. From Koblin, I learned that these interfaces can be a powerful narrative tool that encourages me to collaborate within my community. By removing the stress of data and interpreting it as an art form, I am compelled to create a story which encompasses  the world and humanity that is all around me. A random thought to close on: I wish an interface was created for people to share their wishes for the future; to express how they’d like the future to unfold.