Towards a Theory of Bullshit Visualization
It highlights a gap in visualization research for practitioners and consumers, but is incremental as it critiques rather than proposes solutions.
The paper argues that many visualizations are 'bullshit'—charts that are indifferent to truth or utility—and notes their prevalence in practice despite being overlooked in academic research.
In this unhinged rant, I lay out my suspicion that a lot of visualizations are bullshit: charts that do not have even the common decency to intentionally lie but are totally unconcerned about the state of the world or any practical utility. I suspect that bullshit charts take up a large fraction of the time and attention of actual visualization producers and consumers, and yet are seemingly absent from academic research into visualization design.