Often times, numbers and statistics are a necessary tool in driving a story home. We exist in a world that's filled with over seven billion people. I don't know about you, but I find this number impossible to envision. In cases like these, I find that statistics, while often eye opening, can be incredibly intangible. This is why I find it so powerful when numbers are boiled down to something easily imagined. A fellow blogger posted this link in a comment: http://www.100people.org/statistics_detailed_statistics.php. In taking statistics that are true for the entire world's population, but framing it in regards to 100 people, these statistics become more meaningful because they're more easily understood.
I think it's easy to become consumed in one's own existence. By this I mean that we get comfortable with our immediate surroundings, and we believe things that are true in our context. If there's anything that can bring us out of this bubble and shift our perspective, it's numbers. As an example, living in Toronto, I'd argue that we are aware of multiculturalism. However, I'd also argue that most of us think of English as a dominant language in the world. Taken from the website posted above, only 5 out of 100 people (so 5%) of the world speaks English as a first language. This type of statistic has the power to shift our perspective - it makes me hyper aware that there is a giant world out there.
I like your point about statistics being difficult to imagine. There is a really cool documentary called Chasing Ice where someone went out and photographed the same glaciers at different times for years in order to show the effects of global warming. It talked about how it is hard for people to connect with numbers sometimes, and how visuals can be useful for explaining important points.
ReplyDeleteHey Ling! I also find looking at "stats per 100 people" more impactful than using the actual numbers. This relates back to my own blog post this week regarding eye opening statistics.
ReplyDeleteIt's quite interesting that when the numbers are condensed down to something more easily conceptualized, they become more powerful. For example, finding out that only 5 out of 100 people in the world live in North America boggles my mind... it's outrageous how much space we're given for only 5% of the world's population.