It is hard to tell when the subtle, yet powerful switch happens. It’s rarely a single point in time or due to a single person. And yet with hindsight the shift is unmistakable.

It happens when an organisation stops focusing on what we ‘have to do’ and shift to ‘this is what we get to do’. With data collection there are ‘laws’ we need to abide by (compliance) but going digital also opens up opportunities. Opportunities for us AND those we seek to serve.

Following the law should be the minimum we do, not what we aspire to. Data collection opens up the opportunity to engage communities in digital literacy rather than just asking for them to check the consent tick box. When we have a mindset of ‘this is what we get to do’ we use data collection to help everyone understand why we need data, what we do with it, and with whom we share it. But more than that, we can talk about the value of data and how to live wisely in a digital world.

However, this requires the subtle shift which happens one person at a time.

The choice is up to us.

Photo by Gradikaa Aggi