If I introduce more information, maybe I can discern some meaning and practical use from these numbers.
Maybe I add the information that these are test scores, and then add another column of information which contains some names? By combining information, it would seem I’ve produced some data about individual test scores. handwritten data in table
Image: handwritten data in table format
In my opinion, the combination spain rcs data argument is much nicer than the non-neutrality principle because it’s much closer to the folk definition. Under the non-neutrality principle, data ceases to be a tangible object and becomes much more metaphysical.
The combination argument appeals to our common-sense idea of data being something tangible by explaining where data comes from.
This explanation fits into our immediate observations of the world: we provide, say, Facebook with our information, and they combine it with other information to produce the data for their services. From a political economy perspective, this is quite an interesting interpretation, because we can start thinking about how data is produced, and who has claims to the value of this productive effort.