#MeToo data visualisation project
WEBDEV DEMONSTRATES HER DATA VIZ DISSECTING THE #METOO MOVEMENT
TELL US WHAT METOOMENTUM DOES.
MeToomentum is a self-initiated data visualisation project exploring the themes, geographical footprint and key moments of #MeToo. The project’s genesis was a simple question: can social media become a vehicle to foster social change and help reshape traditional views? MeToomentum addresses this question by dissecting the popular hashtag #MeToo. Focusing on the movement’s first six months, we visualised around 200,000 tweets.
WHY DID YOU CREATE IT?
In a world where sexual abuse and workplace harassment are too common, #MeToo has become a powerful international movement shedding light on the magnitude of the problem. I wanted to capture the shape of these voices – I wished to archive and celebrate the bravery of all the people who have spoken up and share their very personal and difficult experiences to provide the possibility for change.
WHAT WERE YOU HOPING TO ACHIEVE?
We wanted to show that our social media activity represents more than scrolling and liking. This project has never been intended for scientific research nor for accurate data analysis. Rather, our ambition for this visual exploration was to capture the shape of the movement’s voices and the impression of these shared experiences.
WHAT TECHNOLOGIES WERE USED IN BUILDING IT?
I joined forces with colleague and kick-ass developer, Lucia Kocincova. We accessed Twitter API to collect our dataset. From the beginning of October until the end of March, we gathered a sample of tweets containing or related (responses and retweets) to the hashtag #MeToo. We used various tools – from rapid prototyping with pen and paper to coding the data primarily with SVG and D3.js. Adobe Illustrator was used to design the final three visualisations, while Adobe XD was used to define the interactive experience that was then built in code (HTML, CSS, SVG and D3.js).
HOW HAS IT BEEN RECEIVED?
The project was exhibited in May during Signal Noise’s Data Obscura exhibition. The conversations we had with visitors were deeply moving and encouraged us to publish the interactive and the prints online. Tweets and media attention have been great and the most rewarding aspect is to see user engagement. On average people have lengthy interactions with the website, meaning they are interested in learning and reading the content. You can explore the project at
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL DO NEXT WITH IT?
Just recently we were contacted by Twitter and have been discussing a way to expand our research to include a broader dataset, which would be amazing.