Data metabolism: awareness and risk management of ‘dark data’

This research initiative was conceived as an interdisciplinary research project. Participants from the two research groups soon realized that their respective disciplinary backgrounds are (a) different in epistemologies and methodologies; and, in (b) their epistemic foundations and socio-ethical ambitions. Therefore, team members designed a process that includes (1) an exploratory, (2) an observation, and (3) research design phase, prior to starting the empirical research.

Research ambition: Focus on human decision making and changing behavior in addressing challenges of data metabolism. We call data metabolism data/digital matter(s) that move in and out of the digital space of an organization, are stored, multiplied, copied – all of which require energy and pose specific risks.