Repair and the 5Vs of Big Data – In Dialogue With Caddie Alford

On August 20th, Associate Professor of Digital Rhetoric Caddie Alford presented an interdisciplinary work-in-progress talk titled Repair and the 5Vs of Big Data. The talk focused on the harms of Big Tech platformization by drawing on what computer scientists refer to as the “5Vs of Big Data:” value, veracity, volume, variety, and velocity.

Prof. Caddie Alford presenting.

The talk began by outlining why repair studies are especially relevant in the current moment for both rhetoric and digital studies. Alford highlighted the urgency of examining how repair practices emerge in response to platform collapse and the excesses of Big Data. By situating repair as a framework that speaks across disciplines, the talk emphasized its potential to reframe critical conversations around technology and culture. The talk offered specific reparative corollaries from social media user-generated interventions — examples from how those most affected by Big Tech continue to repair and maintain the 5VS on the ground.

Alford then walked through each of the five Vs, showing how they can be rethought through the lens of repair. Value becomes a question of information quality, asking how we can resist the “enshittification” and “rot economy” of platforms polluting public discourse. Volume highlights the overwhelming sprawl of data weaponized by Big Tech, where quantity often trumps meaningful oversight. Variety reveals the dangers of enclosure, as tailored, homogenous content fuels polarization. Veracity speaks to today’s epistemic chaos, where AI tools, misinformation, and predatory publishing destabilize trust in knowledge systems. Finally, velocity underscores the sheer pace of algorithmic change and circulation, where platforms can instantly shift flows of information, evading accountability. By reframing each V with concrete examples, Alford invited the audience to see repair not as a passive response but as an active practice of maintaining the integrity of our digital ecologies.

See more work of Caddie Alford here.

The REPAIR Scholarly Series brings together researchers and experts to explore the role of repair in technology, society, and culture. Follow our LinkedIn and Bluesky and subscribe to our newsletter to stay tuned on upcoming events!