Culture

The Promise: When truth overshadows power

Written by Levon Demirdjian on 11 December 2017.

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is a prestigious event and a hot-spot for finding some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Apparently, it’s also home to 47 000 ghosts. Shortly after premiering at the 2016 TIFF, a film titled The Promise received over 50 000 negative reviews on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Given the fact that less than 3000 people had actually watched the film at TIFF, who (or what) generated these additional 47 000 reviews?

Picturing the Great Migration

Written by RJ Andrews on 21 November 2017.

This design essay is about the creation of two graphics for the October issue of Significance. You can read the original article and get lost in giant versions of both graphics here.

Words in pictures: exploring repetition in song lyrics

Written by Brian Tarran on 06 November 2017.

It may not be immediately obvious, but the image to the left represents part of the 2001 hit single, “Can’t get you out of my head”, by the Australian singer Kylie Minogue. If you know the song and its lyrics, you might be able to figure out what you are seeing. If you don’t, we’ll explain.

The Great Migration: A Graphics Novel

Written by Brian Tarran on 09 October 2017.

In our October 2017 issue, RJ Andrews and Howard Wainer imagine a collaboration between two data-storytellers of the past, W. E. B. Du Bois and C. J. Minard. The result of this gedanken-collaboration is a series of maps charting the relocation of African-Americans from the southern United States in the century after their emancipation from slavery.

Should we worry that half of Americans trust their gut to tell them what's true?

Written by R. Kelly Garrett on 02 October 2017.

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I’ll bet that’s true,” before you had all the facts? Most people probably have at some point. Where people differ is in how often they do so.