For my data project, I have changed my mind so many times I can’t even begin to tell you where I started in terms of concept…but one idea branched off into another and finally I’m left with the idea of creating the beginnings of a thick map of terrorist activity in the US, with the intention of visualizing how our approach and classification of “terrorism” has changed in the wake of major incidents. For a final/next semester project, I think it would be interesting to focus specifically on creating a map that includes the events and that draws in the media conversations surrounding that event—for instance, mapping the Planned Parenthood shooting that occurred in Colorado last night, including the different ways people reacted to it on twitter, facebook, and in the news (if you look at #PPshooting or #PlannedParenthood on twitter, you’ll see some VERY revealing and diverse reactions to the event). I’m interested in the way that the idea of terrorism has infiltrated American culture and media, especially with relation to Islamophobia but also more generally for the scope of this project.

I really wanted to use the VisualEyes tool from University of Virginia and the NEH, however after much exploration I was not really able to learn how to use it. I like the final presentation of the data with this format, the sample projects on the visualeyes site seemed like exactly the kind of mapping I was looking for, and it is something I would like to really learn and explore in the future.

The point of my visualization, in the larger, more complex project scheme, is to map the way that terrorism and our reactions to it has changed.