Why everyone should be data literate | Jordan Morrow | TEDxBoise

How do we decipher between what is true and what is not without becoming data scientists? How can we use information to make better decisions? Data literacy opens our eyes and enables us to succeed in the digital revolution.

Jordan is a fierce lover of the world of data and analytics, calling himself a “data nerd.” Besides his love of all things math- and data-related, Jordan is an avid trail runner and ultramarathoner, often exploring the mountain ranges of Utah. He is the proud father of five, married to his best friend from college, and even named his Golden Retriever, Wrigley, after the field where his beloved Chicago Cubs play.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

How many of us

have ever been watching the news,

and a story comes on,
and we get captivated by it,

and then we start
asking questions such as,

"Is this data and information correct?"

Or how many of us

have ever been in a check-out stand,
looking at the newspapers and magazines -

and for those that don't know
what a newspaper is,

it's printed word, not on social media -

but how many times
have we been in that check-out stand

and said, "Nah, that can't be real?"

Or third, turning to social media,

how many of us
have ever been on social media

and we see these viral stories
that go around

that make us think or worry,
kind of like the Momo Challenge,

and then we find out that it's a hoax?

The world we live in today

is producing so much
instant access to information.

How do we decipher through it all?

And not only decipher through it all:

how do we take it to make
a smart, informed decision?

Now what if I told you

that there is legitimately
a skill in the world

that everyone can learn -

and not just learn, but get good at -

that will empower us
to understand data and information better

and then to make a data-informed decision?

Sound too good to be true?

I promise it's not.

It is real, and it is
accessible to everybody.

And this skill is data literacy.

Now before I jump in
to exactly what data literacy is,

I want to set this foundation for us more

so we understand the era
and the world that we live in

with technology and information.

Now the time period in which we live

has been called
the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Now what in the world
does that actually mean?

It means a digital world,

and I think all of us can agree
that we live in a very digital world.

In fact, it is very hard-pressed

to find people who don't have a computer
in their pocket now, in a smartphone.

To help paint this picture even better,

I'm going to go through
a few examples with you

just to show you how connected we are

and how much information
is being produced.

The first example:

Did you know that nowadays

you need a refrigerator
that has a touchscreen on it?

(Laughter)

And not just has a touchscreen,

but it can play a YouTube video for you,
it can tell you the weather.

These things exist,
did you know that you need it?

Now, in full disclosure,
guess who has one of those?

(Laughter)

Second: Did you know
that you need a dishwasher

that connects to your Internet?

Because I can't think of anything

I have ever wanted more
when I'm at a movie theater

than to know when my
dish-washing cycle is complete.

(Laughter)

Did you know you need that?

Third: Did you know

that it is becoming way too difficult

to turn a knob to turn your shower on?

(Laughter)

That now you can download an app

that can turn the water on
and - by golly -

set it to the exact temperature
that you want?

Not only that,

but you can have a touchscreen
in your shower,

and that mixture
of electricity and water -

(Laughter)

Did you know you need that?

The reality is,
everything is being connected.

And not just connected:
guess what that produces for us?

Data and information.

Now data has been called the new oil,

but I think we need to take
a step back from that statement

to understand it better.

Data is this valuable asset,

but just like oil,

it has to go through people
and refinement to get value.

This is data literacy.

Now by definition,

data literacy is the ability to read,

work with, analyze, and argue with data -

four skills that reside across a spectrum.

Notice what I did not say:

data literacy is not data science.

Not everyone in this world
needs to be data scientist,

but everyone needs to be
comfortable with data

to be able to succeed
in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

So let's dive through these four skills

to help us understand them better.

And to do that, we are going to imagine

that we all are buying a refrigerator.

Now the principles
I'm about to teach and talk through

apply not only in a personal life;

they apply in the public sector,

they apply in business,
and they apply in society.

The first characteristic
is the ability to read data.

Now imagine that we are going to a store,

and we are looking
at all these refrigerators,

and we have no clue which one
is going to fit our world the best.

So the first step is

we are going to read the information
and data that is provided to us,

and if you were to Google
the word "to read":

it means to look at something
and comprehend it.

So when we walk into the store
and there are 30 refrigerators all over,

hopefully some without a touchscreen,

we can read the information
that is given to us,

and comprehend it
to make a smarter decision.

Reading data is one
of the most powerful things

that can free up our minds
in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

If you think back hundreds of years,

did you know it could be a criminal act

to be able to read?

In no way am I saying it will be
a criminal act to be able to read data,

but just like it did hundreds of years ago
with all of this information around us,

the ability to read it
and comprehend it is a key skill.

So back to our refrigerators.

We move along

and we get to the second
characteristic of data literacy.

This is the ability to work with data.

Now one might ask themselves,

"Does this mean I have to get good
at computer science and statistics

to work with data?"

The answer is no.

It means being comfortable
with information

when it is presented to you.

If we think of those viral stories

that go around
and they make us uncomfortable,

we become relieved
when we find out it's a hoax.

Working and reading with data allows us

to determine it's a hoax
before we have to find out.

So when we're buying these refrigerators

and each refrigerator
has an information sheet,

we're comfortable taking that
and consuming it,

to move along to the third characteristic
of the data literacy definition,

and that means to analyze data.

Now what analyzing data does
is it gets to the "why?" behind it.

I often say we want to move beyond
an observation and get to the insight.

In reality, when a story
is going around on social media,

most of the time,

we are making an observation
of the information presented to us.

In the case of a refrigerator,

we walk into a store, see 30 refrigerators

and maybe five of them
catch our attention:

we made an observation.

We then need to analyze the information
about those five refrigerators

so that we can take it in

and find the insight
that will lead to a smarter decision.

Analyzing also means being
comfortable asking questions.

That's not something
that happens too often

with social media in our day and age.

We should be questioning everything.

The fourth piece of the pie

is arguing with data.

Now, a little side note,

I am not encouraging you
to go argue with the salesperson

as you try and pick your refrigerator.

Arguing with data means two things.

One: interrogate the information
as it is presented to you.

Ask a lot of questions of the salesperson,

interrogate what they're giving you.

The second side of arguing
with data and information

is this ability to put a position forward
and back it up with information.

So put yourself in my shoes.

Let's say, my wife and I are remodeling
and picking out this fridge.

We agree on absolutely everything.

No.

(Laughter)

We each have our position,

and then we argue it
and back it up with facts and data

to arrive at the best refrigerator for us.

Four characteristics:

reading, working with,
analyzing, and arguing with data

empower us as individuals to make sense
of all the information that is out there

and then to make decisions with it.

Now I am asked very often,

"How do I start? What do I do?"

"Do I need to back to school
and get good at statistics?"

"Do I need to learn how to code?"

Now I understand greatly,
not everyone is as big a nerd as myself.

Not everyone wants to read
a statistics textbook -

I promise you I do.

So what do you do to start?

I've coined a phrase that I use
called "The Two Cs of Data Literacy."

The first C is I want you
to become Curious.

I have five children.

Guess how many questions
they ask me on a daily basis?

(Laughter)

And here's the kicker:
I never ever want my kids to stop.

I watch their brains working through
information and data in front of them,

to come to answers that I could
only dream of making myself.

Because for some reason,

when we become adults,
our curiosity disappears.

Become curious and ask
questions of everything.

That is the start
to powerful data literacy.

The second C of data literacy

is Creativity.

There is a lot of hype
and a lot of discussion in the world

on what is AI, artificial intelligence,
computers, machines

going to do to the future.

We're already in the Fourth
Industrial Revolution.

We are already living in a digital world,

and I'm here to tell you the most powerful
computer that is out there is in here;

it's in our minds.

The human element should never be
stripped away from data.

It is a combination of those machines
of data and artificial intelligence

combined with the human element.

And remember: those four characteristics
are on a spectrum of skills.

But the second C of Creativity
allows us to open up our human mind

to something that might seem
boring or mundane,

but data and information have power.

Now overall, this world that we're
living in truly can be improved

in society, in business,
and in our own personal lives,

as we improve ourselves in reading,

working with, analyzing,
and arguing with data.

If you want to have a foolproof way
of succeeding in the future

and in this digital world

become data literate.

Thank you.

(Applause)