Data Visualization Reflection

The data visualization video was very eye opening in the sense that it analyzed something that almost every person sees daily but pays so little attention to; the infographic. Graphs or diagrams in magazines, on tv, or in advertisements tend to only seem interesting and eye catching because of the instant statistic or fact they present, but the video helps you to realize they are far more important and deserve more though and time than what the eye spends just reading the data. The whole concept that the graphics take lots of data and research that would take hours and hours to comb through and read thoroughly and presents it in a way that provides a message within seconds is astounding. What intrigued me most, however about the video, is the idea that the data is seeking a greater truth and that according to the speakers in the video, they aren't trying to "brainwash" people by using bright colors and arbitrary numbers, but trying to provide a foundation from which an audience can reflect on for themselves and create their own thoughts. I found the very last statement in the video very interesting because it is very much true that people often look for data to confirm what they believe instead of looking for their belief through data. That people who create infographics can find and present a "hero of the piece" that makes the reader want to look further into the story is extremely impressive because it requires the creator to "know their content" and based on data, incite an emotion within a general audience.