About

The Data Culture Group builds collaborative projects to interrogate our datafied society with a focus on rethinking participation and power in data processes. Our work generally fall into the categories of applied computational journalism or creative data representation. Led by Professor Rahul Bhargava, we are a part of the College of Arts, Media and Design at Northeastern University. Our research projects sit at the intersections between traditional academic disciplines, and focus on three main areas:

Tracking Where News is Going

The news industry is in crisis, and there are no easy answers. We research attention and influence across media platforms, building our understanidng of how information and understanding flows in the media ecosystem.

Building a Better Toolbox for Data Storytelling

Most efforts to build data literacy are techno-centric, excluding those who don’t see themselves as technology or math whizzes. We build creative, hands-on, participatory activities for introducing newsrooms, educators, non-profits and local governments to data.

Collaborating for a More Just Data Society

Technologies embed the power structures and inequalities of the cultures that create them. We design explanatory experiences and objects that peel back the shiny veneer and help us questions the values of the data-drenched society we live in.

Before joining Northeastern, Professor Bhargava was a Research Scientist at the MIT Center For Civic Media. His research there involved interfaces for quantitative news analysis, platforms for crowd-sourced sensing, alternates to social media monopolies, and more.