Communication Design Quarterly Aug 2013 Open Access

Big data, big questions

Ehren Helmut Pflugfelder Oregon State University

Abstract

One significant concern I have for the future of technical communication, a concern I often share with my students, involves the impact of "big data." Though the term is frequently used with a sneer, or at least a slightly unsettled laugh, the methods for retrieving information from large data sets are improving as I write this. One significant question the field faces is: "what new relationships will develop and what new work will technical communicators be responsible for in emergent big data projects, in coming years?"

Journal
Communication Design Quarterly
Published
2013-08-01
DOI
10.1145/2524248.2524253
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Open Access
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Topics
technical communication
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (7)

  1. Swarts (2025)
    The Construction of Data Usability
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Cameron et al. (2022)
    Twitter Users’ Displays of Affect in the Global Warming Debate
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Gallagher et al. (2020)
    Peering into the Internet Abyss: Using Big Data Audience Analysis to Understand…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Li (2020)
    Visualizing Chinese Immigrants in theU.S. Statistical Atlases: A Case Study in …
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Codding et al. (2019)
    Scientific Emergence and Instantiation Part II: Assembling Synthetic Biology 20…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Show all 7 →
  1. Lauer et al. (2018)
    Hand Collecting and Coding Versus Data-Driven Methods in Technical and Professi…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Frith (2017)
    Big Data, Technical Communication, and the Smart City
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication

References (6) · 1 in this index

  1. Laney D. (2001 Feb. 6) Application Delivery Strategies. Meta Group Retrieved from http://blogs.gartner.com/do…
  2. Mayer-Schönberger V. & Cukier K. (2013). Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live Work and Thin…
  3. Office of Science and Technology Policy. (2012 March 29). "Obama Administration Unveils "Big Data" Initiative…
  4. Faber B. (2013)
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  5. Johnson-Eilola J. (2005). Datacloud: Toward a New Theory of Online Work. Cresskill NJ: Hampton Press. 18. Jo…
Show all 6 →
  1. McNely (2012)
    Big data, situated people: humane approaches to communication design
    Communication Design Quarterly
CrossRef global citation count: 15 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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