My research is framed by the context of a collaborative PhD. I am working with a company which uses creativity to produce and communicate data about young people’s lives and enable them to contribute more effectively to cultural and social life.   

During my initial research, it became clear that the topic as stated needed to be more specifically defined in terms of the users of digital data and the nature of the data itself. Thus, it is now focused on public sector policymakers as users of data and big data has been joined by  small data as objects of study.  The site of my investigation is Birmingham, the largest UK city after London. It has a population of more than one million of which approx. 45% are under 30 (2017). 

My  main research question now is:  

In what ways does data-driven public sector policymaking contribute to the social and cultural inequalities of young people and how might young people be assisted to overcome them and redress the power imbalance between them and policymakers?

My subsidiary questions are as follows: 

1. How might the collection, creative use and communication of alternative small data enable young people to challenge the normative data-influenced policy narratives of their everyday lives?   
2. In what ways have youth organisations and young people themselves attempted to overcome their inequalities following the GFC of 2008?
3. What can we learn from a study of Beatfreeks  work about alternative forms of engagement with young people and their potential  to address inequalities and rebalance the power relationship between young people and policymakers?