About the Lab

The Critical Data Studies Lab at UT is led by Amelia Acker, Associate Professor in the School of Information. The lab focuses on the sociotechnical dimensions of data technologies in our lives.

We study how data is collected, named, managed, applied and debated in different contexts–from scientific research and cultural heritage institutions, to social networking platforms and mobile applications. Currently, our focus is researching people who build and maintain data technologies, data archives, and information infrastructures that support long-term cultural memory.

The CDS Lab also provides infrastructure and support for graduate students interested in the relationships of culture to data, focusing on research that addresses the impact of data in our lives from a critical perspective.

Our Projects

Beyond Recognition: Exploring the Implications of OCR to Process the SIM CARD ARCHIVE

The production and use of data are never neutral; they are entangled in power relations and social, political, and ethical contexts. The SIM Card Archive project explores the ethical challenges and technical possibilities of applying Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to a specialized archival collection. The SIM Card Archive, composed of mobile media artifacts, serves as a testbed for developing new methods of humanistic AI and innovative models for critical archival access. The project navigates the complex balance between ensuring privacy, trust, and accountability in handling personal data while managing appropriate access to collections for research. Outcomes of this project will include documented workflows and data management protocols that demonstrate ethical access and sustainable preservation strategies for small digital-physical artifacts. Additionally, this project will develop and refine OCR models customized for digitized SIM card scans. This effort will inform future AI-driven archival work and offer insights for other specialized collections of mobile media hardware and software. This research is supported by the Karen Balcome endowed iSchool Fellowship.

AI, Superapps, and Personal Information Management

Data infrastructures are not just technical systems but socio-technical assemblages with profound implications for how we live, work, and communicate. This project examines the intersection of AI and mobile personal information management (PIM) with WhatsApp. Building on prior research on superapps and PIM (Adavi & Acker, 2023), this study investigates how AI influences users’ practices of organizing, managing, and sharing digital files across mobile devices using AI features. While established PIM practices from desktop and email contexts persist, the affordances of WhatsApp and the constraints of mobile operating systems and hardware significantly shape users’ file management behaviors and use of AI. The results will benefit researchers studying mobile communication, collective PIM practices, and the implications of AI for digital file management in mobile-first settings. This project is managed by doctoral research fellow Akhil Adavi and is supported by a Special Research Grant from the Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Endeavors at UT Austin, with prior support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (Award RE-07-18-0008-18).

Data Afterlives: The Long-Term Impact of Data Management Plans on Data Archiving and Sharing

This project examines how data management policies shape scientific practices and the distribution of knowledge with archives and preservation practices. This collaborative project investigates the long-term impact of the National Science Foundation’s data management plans (DMPs) on data archiving, sharing, and access. Since the implementation of DMP requirements in 2011, the scientific community has invested significant resources in compliance with federal data policies aimed at preserving and sharing large datasets. This study evaluates the extent to which these efforts have succeeded in enhancing data-driven science and facilitating the translation of research results into knowledge. By examining DMPs as central artifacts of scientific knowledge infrastructures, the project assesses how these plans have influenced data preservation practices, improved access to research outputs, and shaped the practices of various scientific disciplines. This research is supported by the National Science Foundation (Award SES-2020183) and conducted in collaboration with Dr. Megan Finn of American University, and Dr. Sarika Sharma at Middlebury College.