Understanding data culture/s: Influences, activities, and initiatives

Understanding data culture/s: Influences, activities, and initiatives
Gillian Oliver | Jocelyn Cranefield | Spencer Lilley | Matthew J. Lewellen

Abstract
Data culture/s as a research topic has begun to attract attention from a wide range of disciplines, albeit with inconsistent application of definitions, dimensions, and applications. This work builds on a call to investigate data culture/s within the information studies domain as a topic related to, but distinct from, information culture. The purpose of this study is to explore what is known about data culture/s in greater depth. We apply a retroductive approach to select and consider likely dimensions, inputs, and aspects of data culture/s in order to further map this construct to the literature, and thereby highlight gaps and opportunities to add to this body of knowledge. The initial candidate dimensions explored below include data-related skills and attitudes, data sharing, data use/reuse, data ethics and governance, and a specific focus on Indigenous perspectives to provide insights on why and how a group may contest the emergent dominant discourse of data culture/s. Our conclusion highlights areas needing further research to fully define and examine the dimensions, inputs, and aspects of data culture/s, and calls for greater understanding and engagement with data culture/s from the information studies community.