Ethics of Data Viz, Stressed Out Screen Readers, and Celebrating Ñ
Global interconnectedness through language, accessibility, and more
IN THE MARGINS
Like it or not, we're in this together
I’m really thinking about interconnectedness lately - whether it’s social justice (like through the trial result of Derek Chauvin) or healthcare access (such as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout). The distribution of resources, education, and compassion, or lack thereof, impacts everyone. The work for global justice and equity isn’t just one-and-done and it isn’t sustainable when done in isolated bubbles. We’ll need both rest and resistance, and each other, to see it through. Be just a little kinder this week where you can - to someone else or to yourself. Our liberation truly is bound together.
ACCESSIBILITY
Stressed Out Screen Readers
Want to spice up your social media profile with funky letters and cute “fonts”? Well, don’t. Why? Because this is what it sounds like on a screenreader. What is a visual aesthetic for you, is actually an accessibility issue for users. Accents and diacritic marks, like ñ or ö, are meant to be used in words and therefore make sense when spoken in sentences via assistive technologies like screen readers. Characters, like mathematical symbols intended for formulas, just stress out screen readers, and their users, so don’t do it haha
Bonus tip: Did you know screen readers also read aloud emojis? So when you 👏🏽 do 👏🏽 this 👏🏽 between 👏🏽 each 👏🏽 word.... it makes for a poor user experience and is probably hella annoying. Trust me, I know it's fun and I used it a lot too but sometimes you gotta let it go, Elsa.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
Language & Global Power
I shared in a past edition about a tool that checks the language support of a font. As someone whose first language is English, I’m still in awe of the ~global power~ it has. And yet languages spoken by more people have less economic impact or societal pressure for people to learn them. The infographic above shows the top 20 most used languages on the internet in comparison to their real-world use among the global population. I found it interesting, and somewhat infuriating. For example, Hindi is the third most spoken language worldwide, but it isn’t one of the top languages used on the internet. Hooooowwww?!
And of course my analytical, minor in applied mathematics, brain then jumped to the methodology (for example, measuring “content” vs “viewership”) and factors behind it (such as internet access). With data visualizations, creators should be careful of the narrative the image crafts and implies. Assume the viewer won’t read the caption and won’t do extra research. It’s easy to manipulate data for agendas, as we’ve all seen but ethical infographics is a discussion for another day. The thing I like about facts is that data is neutral - it’s what you do with it that then gives it meaning and messaging.
Entangled Intersections
As I think about the many ways the U.S. is trash for not helping other countries, like India, during COVID-19, I’m reminded of how entangled we all are during a pandemic – and any larger issue, honestly. The mega wealthy like to think they can just operate in a bubble but it will eventually burst. Take environmental justice for instance. The term “intersectionality” can refer to a variety of identities (ethnicity, ability, gender expression, etc), but the idea of connected cause is applicable to environmentalism, social justice, food security, etc. This post gives you a quick rundown on what intersectionality is and how it connects all the complex issues that ultimately affect us all.
ART & DESIGN
Celebrating the Ñ
Speaking of global languages and accents, Google’s Doodle on Friday 23 April commemorated the consonant Ñ (pronounced “enye”). That fun little squiggle on top? It’s called a tilde. The only letter in the Spanish alphabet that originated in Spain, the Ñ is not only a letter but a representation of Hispanic heritage and identity as well.
“Language is a live organism and a part of our identity. Our differences are what make us unique.” - Min, the illustrator of the Doodle
Signing off from the Starship SBLTN,
Laneen (Pronouns: she/they)
🎧 Listening - Max Richter playlist, especially "On The Nature of Daylight" and "A Lamenting Song"
💬 Quote - "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." - Universal Declaration of Human Rights
👀 Watching - Monday (film) f/ my boo Sebastian Stan
✔️ Random Fact - Spanish has approx 471 million first-language speakers