Data-bility.

Could a body of research be conducted like dating? A date often involves a condition of genuine curiosity between two people unknown to one another, their immersion in an unknown environment, and a mutual desire to understand how someone else thinks. There are frequently initial reservations and misgivings by both parties, but these can soon give way to a growing awareness of shared interests, experiences and associates, flowing conversation (or lack of), and mutual enjoyment of environment and company (or not).

However, the date is not determined just by the dynamics of the couple themselves, rather it is sustained by all the things around them – the journey beforehand, the venue’s neighbourhood, the décor, the table arrangement and positioning, the demeanour of the waiting staff, the style of the cuisine, the type of music played, the lighting levels, the amount of the final bill, what happens afterwards, and so forth. These are all things that are maintained and orchestrated by a wider service industry, outside of the immediate scope and responsibility of the daters themselves, which has an obligation to provide occasion, place or framework for chemistry, adventure, surprise, and storytelling.

Where romance may not be on the cards, a positive outcome may still be elicited through a prolonged conversation with someone new in an unfamiliar environment and with, at the very least, an entertaining story to tell friends. But, where romance may ensue, then a whole new set of experiences, scenarios, and stories opens up.

Research institutions might consider how they learn from and engage with data differently through analogous forms of ‘knowledge dating’ exercises. This might also entail new types of dedicated in-house support teams that extensively assist and disseminate ensuing research stories and discoveries that will instruct and galvanise students, and the wider world, in strategic and entertaining ways.