Data Visualization and Discourse in Digital Media
Summary
In an era defined by data abundance, visualisation has become a vital interface between complex datasets and digital audiences. Through charts, maps, infographics and interactive dashboards embedded in online news, policy briefings and social platforms, visualisation techniques frame narratives, shape public discourse and influence decision making across domains. Scholars examine how repeated visual motifs—such as choropleth maps illustrating epidemiological trends or slide‐deck assemblages in governmental press conferences—mediate authority and construct meaning. Research also probes the social dynamics of visual brokerage, revealing how intermediaries translate scientific findings for diverse publics. Advances in interactive design and heightened data literacy foster engagement, yet raise ethical challenges around misrepresentation and manipulation. Globally, visual discourse in crisis communication, migration politics and educational contexts underscores the need for critical frameworks that balance clarity, persuasion and accountability in digital media.
Research from Nature Portfolio
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Research from all publishers
Recent studies have illuminated the politics of visual communication in digital media. Analyses of governmental COVID-19 press briefings reveal that slide presentations operate as visual narrative assemblages, transitioning from reactive data reporting to proactive policy framing as part of broader authority performance. Work on news media identifies ‘generic visuals’—reiterated line charts, bar graphs and virus imagery—that foster banal forms of belonging and reinforce state narratives through symbolic repetition. Investigations into migration visualisations demonstrate that conventions of objectivity, state-centred perspectives and standardised colour schemes shape public attitudes toward migrants by embedding political assumptions within graphical design. Collectively, this research highlights the interplay between design conventions, audience engagement and discursive power in digital environments.
Data Visualization and Discourse in Digital Media publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in data visualization and discourse in digital media across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Infographic: A graphical representation combining text, images and data to convey information efficiently.
Choropleth map: A thematic map where regions are shaded according to the value of a statistical variable.
Visual narrative assemblage: A sequence of interrelated visual elements that collectively convey a policy or thematic storyline.
Knowledge broker: An intermediary who translates and adapts research findings for non-specialist audiences.
Discourse analysis: A qualitative method for studying how language and visuals construct social meanings and power relations.
References
- Next slide please: the politics of visualization during COVID-19 press briefings. Journal of European Public Policy (2023).
- Visual brokerage: Communicating data and research through visualisation. Public Understanding of Science (2018).
- ‘Generic visuals’ of Covid-19 in the news: Invoking banal belonging through symbolic reiteration. International Journal of Cultural Studies (2022).
- The conventions and politics of migration data visualizations. New Media & Society (2021).
- Infographics in Educational Settings: A Literature Review. IEEE Access (2023).
- Visualising policy responses during health emergencies. Learning from the COVID-19 policy trackers. Convergence The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies (2021).
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