For the process of
shared storytelling to
occur around an object,
such as a visualization,
the object needs an
identity within the
social network so that
people within can
easily recognize it and
its unique properties
can be retained.

communicated. People within a
social network may not have the
necessary knowledge to grasp
what sort of visualization tech-
nique to use, but they may still
have interesting data to share.
This is particularly important
for open data that seeks to
promote greater transparency
for government and increased
engagement with democratic
processes through technology,
so the entry barrier to using this
technology must be low enough.

CREATE
INTERPRET
CAPTURE

January + February 2010

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TWEAKING
MAPPING
DECORATION

SNAPSHOT
ANNOTATION

interactions

• The Social Life of Visualization. The move from raw data to data storytelling, involving processes of: mapping—where communication objectives are translated into visualization schemas; decoration—creating an identity around the visualization and placing it in the social space; tweaking and annotation—interfaces to interrogate and mark up the representation of data; and snapshot—enabling storytelling to grow around a data visualization.