CSMP14 - Formal and informal representation

Question 1

What are the pros of formal representations?

Answer 1

• Statistical/factual accuracy​
• Allows easier comparison between places if comparison done by same organisation (e.g. UK census)​
• Often more neutral/less biased/more objective​
• Often have same questions asked over time​ allowing for longitudinal studies
• Often a spatial element to data collection​
• Often more academic – brings respectability/trustworthiness to data

Question 2

What are the Pros of informal representations?

Answer 2

• Gives a more emotive account of issues​
• Often reach a wider audience (good if representation is good)​ because it is not academic (not everyone can interpret formal representations)
• Can promote areas in which representation is set (e.g. tourism boom in NZ off back of Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings)​
• A wider range of forms of representation​
• Often has a longer-lasting impact (eg BATMAN) – the notion of a ‘picture is worth a thousand words’​

Question 3

What are the cons of formal representations?

Answer 3

• Some places have very poor funding/mechanisms for data collection and therefore representations can be difficult to come by​
• Data can lack motives/reasons/emotions – often difficult to explore the ‘why’s​
• Data can be obscure – not easily accessible to a lay audience and only understandable by specialists​
• Less memorable​
• Can be inaccessible (data behind pay walls or security walls)​

Question 4

What are the Cons of informal representations?

Answer 4

• To what extent can individual representations be deemed representative of larger populations? We don’t know if this the ‘voice of the people’ or ‘voice of one person’ (e.g. editor/director)​
• Meaning sometimes hard to decipher/interpret; do we always do this correctly?​ (particularly when the representations are designed by people with differing cultural norms)
• Can be misinterpreted (Borat) and portray stereotypes.
• Often reaches a wider audience (bad if representation is bad)​