Collecting as the First Bias

Collecting is the first step where data becomes non-neutral.
When we choose what to include in a collection, we also decide what is excluded.
These early choices shape the entire dataset and influence what can later be classified, displayed, or analysed.

This step demonstrates that data does not exist independently of the collector.
It reflects our judgment: what we pay attention to, what we prioritise, and what we overlook.

Coming from an economics and business background, we were used to thinking of data as something objective, something collected through fixed categories and predefined variables. Collecting was often presented as a neutral, technical step. Through this course, that understanding changed. We realised that collecting is not simply gathering facts but making decisions that shape what becomes visible and what remains outside the dataset.