The Metadata is the Message

Information architects are trained to think of metadata as a container used by professionals to define and describe content. However, from politics to the sciences to entertainment to social media, metadata has its own stories to tell. This talk explores the novel, consequential, and frequently funny ways in which users deploy metadata to craft messaging and offer commentary. It asks how both containers and content may be subverted in the service of unsanctioned narratives, as well as what the boundary (if any) between data and metadata might be.