Creative, na? This is just off the 'Diag' UM Central Campus.
(click for a larger image)
Monday, May 15, 2006
Data Misrepresentation - Population definition
Glaring example of how data is misrepresented.Check the headline out :
Did you find it as shocking as i did when i saw it? Imagine an average Indian, even if in the top 10 cities, paying 42 bills online annually! Read along, and somewhere in the second line suddenly this becomes 'upto 42 bills'. So what is it? Maximum of 42 , average of 42, what?
Of course, reporting a maximum doesn't make sense so we need to safely assume that the reporting is being done for some average. So you frantically read through the article all the time in the fear that life has completely changed in India and you were blissfully unaware of it.
And then you come across a 'tiny' detail in the article wayyyyyy down....
See the second para? 'the target audience comprised internet users...'. Right. Of course, it would have hurt to have the headline say "Average Indian internet user pays 42 bills online annually'. Note that i am not even putting the fact that the survey was done in the top 10 metros in the headline. I can imagine that making for a very unwieldly headline. But between saying 'top 10 cities' and 'internet users', i do think the latter is more important to declare upfront.
Else, this does make for a very misleading representation, especially given that it's the headline that would stick in most people's head. And hardly anyone's going to bother about searching for the population definition.
Did you find it as shocking as i did when i saw it? Imagine an average Indian, even if in the top 10 cities, paying 42 bills online annually! Read along, and somewhere in the second line suddenly this becomes 'upto 42 bills'. So what is it? Maximum of 42 , average of 42, what? Of course, reporting a maximum doesn't make sense so we need to safely assume that the reporting is being done for some average. So you frantically read through the article all the time in the fear that life has completely changed in India and you were blissfully unaware of it.
And then you come across a 'tiny' detail in the article wayyyyyy down....
See the second para? 'the target audience comprised internet users...'. Right. Of course, it would have hurt to have the headline say "Average Indian internet user pays 42 bills online annually'. Note that i am not even putting the fact that the survey was done in the top 10 metros in the headline. I can imagine that making for a very unwieldly headline. But between saying 'top 10 cities' and 'internet users', i do think the latter is more important to declare upfront. Else, this does make for a very misleading representation, especially given that it's the headline that would stick in most people's head. And hardly anyone's going to bother about searching for the population definition.
Shameless
How can you have really big newspapers - one of them the largest read English daily in the world - both claiming they did exclusive interviews with George Bush. The interviews are almost word-to-word the same!
http://www.exchange4media.com/impact_news.asp?news_id=20027§ion_id=30
http://www.exchange4media.com/impact_news.asp?news_id=20027§ion_id=30
Browsing Books
If you are a bibliophile like me, chances are you go to the bookstore with the intention of buying one book and end up buying 5.Assuming you pre-decide that one book you need to buy, how do you decide on the other four? Author reputation? Signage? Promotion? Price? Sales spiel?
Maybe all of the above - but i bet you at least browse through the books. Would be interesting to see data on patterns to this browsing behavior. How do people flip through pages? Order, time spent on sections, what catches their eye etc. On the content browsing, something like this.
Maybe all of the above - but i bet you at least browse through the books. Would be interesting to see data on patterns to this browsing behavior. How do people flip through pages? Order, time spent on sections, what catches their eye etc. On the content browsing, something like this.
Arboraranya
Well, for those unfamiliar with this word (just coined) - it's a compound between Arbor and Aranya. Quite a fusion, eh? Aranya in Sanskrit loosely means forest. The word is always associated with contemplation and images that come to mind - thanks to Amar Chirta Katha - are deer frolicking about, bearded (white beards, we must hasten to add) 'sadhus' perusing palm leaves etc. - you get the picture.
Well, what a surprise when i landed in Ann Arbor and found quite a correspondence (save for white beards - just replace that with bermuda shorts!).
This place is an Aranya! Don't believe me? Check the snaps out....(click for larger image)
Incidentally, the town is named Ann Arbor after 'Ann' - the wife of one of the founders of the city and 'Arbor' - for the abundant oak woods that were there in the 1800s.
Well, what a surprise when i landed in Ann Arbor and found quite a correspondence (save for white beards - just replace that with bermuda shorts!).
This place is an Aranya! Don't believe me? Check the snaps out....(click for larger image)
Incidentally, the town is named Ann Arbor after 'Ann' - the wife of one of the founders of the city and 'Arbor' - for the abundant oak woods that were there in the 1800s.
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