Geri Gay Professor of Communication at Cornell University and founder of the Data & Society Research Institute, danah boyd, joins us to talk about data and the US census. danah covers census history and its importance in the datafication of the US populace for congressional representation, redistricting and directing trillions of dollars of federally funded programs. She gives us an incredible window into the 2020 and 2030 decennials through her ethnographic work with the Census Bureau, featured in her new book, Data Are Made, Not Found: A Story of Politics, Power, and the Civil Servants Who Saved the US Census. Along with Mizuko Ito and Henry Jenkins, boyd co-authored Participatory Culture in a Networked Era: A Conversation About Youth, Learning, Commerce, and Politics. She also wrote It’s Complicated: The Social Life of Networked Teens.
In the wide-ranging conversation, danah speaks about the difficulties of acquiring data and what makes it legitimate. She delves into the many political tensions around the census and how a wide range of actors interact with those tasked with making the decennial census. We end by reflecting on how the census connects to motivations for political movements and change amongst the people it affects the most. Since the show was recorded, the Administration has proposed significant changes for the 2030 decennial census and there’s more information in the links below.
Here are some references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper.
Learning Resources:
- Data Are Made, Not Found A Story of Politics, Power, and the Civil Servants Who Saved the US Census by danah boyd
- The American Census: A Social History by Margo J. Anderson
- Democracy’s Data The Hidden Stories in the U.S. Census and How to Read Them by Dan Bouk
- Today’s Census News Is A Big Deal by danah boyd in Made Not Found (9/2026)
- American Democracy Depends On The Census. Trump Is Undermining It. by danah boyd in The Guardian (9/2026)
- Independent Census Scientific Advisory Committee recommendations (9/2026)
- National Conference on Citizenship Primer on Census Datar
- The Population Bomb [Amazon link, Wikipedia entry]
- Voting Rights Act (1965)
- FERPA
- Participatory Culture in a Networked Era: A Conversation on Youth, Learning, Commerce, and Politics by Henry Jenkins, Mizuko Ito, danah boyd [Amazon link]
People & Organizations:
- Wilbur Ross
- Herman Hollerith
- United States Census Bureau
- IBM
- Bureau of Labor Statistics Data Users Advisory Committee
- Census Advisory Committees
- U.S. Department of Commerce
- National Public Radio census (and more) reporter extraordinaire, Hansi Lo-Wang
- The Census Project
- Fair Count
- John Tanton
- Franz Kafka
- Kris Kobach
- Thomas Hofeller
- John Eastman
- Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat
Media & Events:
- “Hotel California” (song)
- United States Semiquincentennial
- Jenga (game)
- Get Counted, NYC! Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez & Lin-Manuel Miranda Teach on the 2020 Census (PSA)
- Everybody Counts, featuring Ed Helms
- Census Taker vs. Old Lady – SNL
Opportunities for Action:
- Comment on proposed changes to Census by 10/13/26 at Regulations.gov
- Census Counts (current campaign)
- Hands Off Our Census (current campaign)
Share your thoughts via email at howdoyoulikeitsofarpodcast@gmail.com.
