The value of data mining is dependent on the people wielding the algorithm. Personas, an art installation by MIT’s Sociable Media Group, wants to create awareness about the capricious nature of results.
American personas
A few weeks ago, Putting People First profiled a project by Claritas to create personas for Americana. Demographic data was compiled to come up with a few dozen different kinds of Americans and situate them in the geography of the nation. These personas might be used as a great initial step in a design inquiry.