The phenomenon of self-proclaimed experts dominating public conversation is a ubiquitous issue, where individuals frequently declare, “I brought up this point,” thereby conflating personal opinions with objective truth. The origin of the information is rarely questioned: How was it collected? There appears to be no apparent reason why certain issues are documented while others remain unreported.
MIT Affiliate Professor Catherine D’Ignazio, a 2014 graduate of the university’s Sloan School, poses such queries. With a distinguished background of intellectual pursuits, this scholar possesses a keen enthusiasm for harnessing knowledge as a catalyst for positive change – often focusing her expertise on empowering marginalized groups by providing access to data, thereby shedding light on the complexities surrounding pressing civic concerns.
Citizens’ informed participation in democracy requires well-crafted information infrastructures that empower data-driven discussions; as D’Ignazio notes, this necessitates thoughtful design considerations for effective citizen engagement.
Take, for example, the alarming phenomenon of feminicide – the deliberate killing of girls and women due to gender-based violence, a brutal manifestation of discriminatory attitudes towards females. Across Latin America, activists meticulously compiled information on the topic, establishing comprehensive databases often surpassing the scope of official government statistics. D’Ignazio has observed the issue and collaborated with experts in the field of human rights to develop innovative AI tools that assist human rights defenders in their surveillance efforts.
According to D’Ignazio’s 2024 publication, “Counting Feminicide,” the comprehensive guide has mapped out the issue’s complexities and successfully brought it to a broader audience through its detailed coverage. Today, a knowledge gap once prevalent has been filled by comprehensive databases, empowering individuals worldwide to recognize the reality of this issue across multiple continents, thanks to the progressive efforts of residents. Grassroots information science and citizen information activism have emerged as burgeoning forms of civic engagement.
What constitutes innovation in our society? And by whom? What drives her inquiry is the need to understand how people make decisions, says D’Ignazio, a member of MIT’s Division of City Research and Planning, as well as the director of the university’s Knowledge and Feminism Laboratory. D’Ignazio was granted tenure earlier this year for her outstanding analysis and teaching.
With a long-standing fascination for data science, digital design, and global issues, D’Ignazio has consistently nurtured her interest. After completing her undergraduate degree in international relations at Tufts University, she transitioned into a career as a software developer in the private sector. With research as her focus, she went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts from the Maine College of Art and a Master of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, allowing her to harmonize her intellectual perspective.
“For me, the Media Lab was a hub where diverse passions converged,” D’Ignazio remarks. How are we able to incorporate additional artistic features into software programs and databases now? Can we develop AI with even simpler social functions today? How will we establish a robust foundation for sharing knowledge and resources to create a more inclusive and fair society for everyone?
To guarantee that she wasn’t consumed solely by her work at the Media Lab, D’Ignazio made sure to allocate time for something other than scrutinizing database points. In 2014 and 2018, Dr. Kimberly Seals-Allings co-founded “Make the Breast Pump Not Suck,” a pioneering feminist initiative that brought together a diverse group of experts in applied sciences and policy development to address critical issues related to postpartum health and infant feeding. Despite this focus, much of her research has centered on the intersection of information structure, information visualization, and the assessment of the intricate links between information production and societal dynamics.
Caroline D’ignazio started her academic career as a lecturer in the Digital + Media graduate program at Rhode Island School of Design, before becoming an assistant professor of information visualization and civic media at Emerson College’s journalism department. She was appointed as an assistant professor at MIT in 2020.
D’Ignazio’s inaugural publication, “Knowledge Feminism,” co-authored with Lauren Klein of Emory University and published in 2020, presents a comprehensive examination of how everyday information reflects the civic society from which it arises. The reported prevalence of sexual assaults on school campuses is potentially misleading due to the possibility that institutions with lower reported rates may have the most challenging reporting environments for survivors.
With a diverse global perspective shaped by stints in France, Argentina, and Uruguay, among other locales, D’Ignazio’s worldview has granted her a nuanced understanding of regional and national political dynamics driving these issues, as well as the hurdles citizen watchdogs confront when gathering information. Implementing such initiatives requires a significant amount of effort and complexity.
“Significant amounts of groundwork are required to produce and manufacture information,” D’Ignazio notes. One intriguing aspect is the staggering amount of effort required from grassroots or citizen science initiatives to transform data into meaningful insights. However, many institutions often lack robust information systems.
The conundrum of participation in information science lies in the notion that, as D’Ignazio and Klein aptly describe, it is “the elephant within the server room.” As an affiliate professor, D’Ignazio dedicates her expertise to instilling a keen awareness of information science’s social implications among college students. Drawing inspiration from high-achieving college students in her classes.
“As a professor, D’Ignazio notes that one of the greatest pleasures is having students who explore topics they might not have chosen themselves.”
One of D’ignazio’s graduate students at the time, Wonyoung So, was delving into housing data sets. While it’s relatively straightforward for homeowners to access information about their tenants, the reverse is often more challenging; this difficulty hinders efforts to identify whether landlords exhibit unusually high eviction rates, for example.
There exist numerous applied sciences empowering landlords to gather granular data on tenants, whereas the converse is strikingly rare – a scarcity of technologies allowing tenants to access similar information about their landlords, D’Ignazio notes. The dissemination of knowledge often inadvertently perpetuates existing global imbalances. Additionally, the location where information is housed is itself a reflection of jurisdictional fragmentation, with varying degrees of quality and accessibility across different regions. Despite being readily accessible, there exist significant disparities in open information.
This innovative approach to housing enables the development of fresh ideas and cutting-edge structures. While it’s unlikely she would have initiated the topic independently, D’Ignazio sees herself as a catalyst for the advancement of progressive causes through her support of other individuals’ endeavors. Substantial advancements await within the realm of information science as it converges with societal needs, primarily through the development of innovative tools empowering individuals to harness their full potential.
“With a sense of concern and enthusiasm, D’Ignazio highlights the potential for information and knowledge to address structural inequalities.” How do we design applied sciences to support community development in creating sustainable energy solutions?
