Considering the many interactions we have with technology over our lifetime, many data points, records, files, and other content are recorded in many digital forms. We inevitably construct a narrative of various life events in a digital format that often lasts well beyond the expiration date of our physical form. This construction of a digital narrative is especially true regarding education records and their use for data mining as our files can be used for analysis. In this chapter, the authors discuss the idea of a digital data exorcism as the potential ability to purge educational records if it is the desire of the individual. A data exorcism can be seen as the needed process for removing or expelling data, done so to protect those from which it was derived. Many forms of data will be discussed in this chapter; however, the focus will be on educational records related to end-of-life considerations. The main theme of this chapter is that facet that we have the right to be forgotten. The right to be deleted or, in other words, “exorcised” from the various systems in which our data resides.
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The concept of an “exorcism” often involves the expulsion or removal of a spirit, demon, or other entity that is inhabiting a body, object, or additional physical space where it does not belong or is otherwise unwelcome. The removal can be conducted through the use of special talismans, prayers, or rituals aimed at removing the unwanted element. Other invocations can be used to protect and repel negative forces through directed intent (Miller, 2006). Usually, this would invoke a state of peace and harmony within the original space, object, or body that was affected. How then does all this talk of exorcisms relate to data? More precisely, what do we mean by a “digital data exorcism”? Indeed, the aim is to examine digital artifacts and the potential for the immediate removal of content (otherwise referred to as a “digital exorcism”). Like an exorcism whose aim is to remove an unwanted negative spirit, a digital exorcism aims to remove the potential harm caused by unwanted data. The goal here is still to invoke peace and harmony as part of the final wishes of the user who generated the data or is described by such data. Consider that email, chat logs, social media posts, and other technological interactions inevitably construct a narrative of our life events (Mitra, 2010), particularly if such use is over prolonged periods of our life. When we die, this content is what is left behind representing many aspects of our life. Just on Facebook alone, some projections estimate 4.9 billion users or more will die by the year of 2100 (assuming a continued rate of growth) which would leave an enormous amount of data behind by deceased users (Öhman & Watson, 2019). This is also true for technologies users interact with while in an educational setting, where massive data sets would include information about the deceased.
All these interactions with technology leave a digital trail and become (intentionally or unintentionally) part of the online legacy one leaves behind when one dies. It is not a matter of if a person dies, but a matter of when a person dies. The Latin phrase Memento Mori comes to mind as we must all “remember” death and that one day we all will die. However, it is a bit more complicated when it comes to our data, as much of the information continues to exist as extensions of ourselves long after we are gone. It is a topic that most people want to forget about and not tackle in an effort of avoidance. There are long-term implications of our data as there is a significant amount of it that we leave behind when we die and continue on afterward as part of our digital afterlife (Wright, 2014, Braman, Dudley, Vincenti, 2011). A data exorcism can be seen as the needed process for removing or expelling data. Instead of the traditional sense of an exorcism, we envision the need for the forcible expulsion of data (conducted purposefully) to protect those from which it was derived. Many forms of data will be discussed in this chapter; however, the focus will be on educational records related to end-of-life considerations. The central theme of this chapter is that facet that we have the right to be forgotten. Therefore, we have the right to be deleted or, in other words, “exorcised” from the various systems in which our data resides.
The massive amount of data available today has opened an unprecedented opportunity for analysis and interpretation to improve our understanding of students, faculty, and school performance in the realm of higher education. Some of this recorded data is essential for regular record-keeping purposes (such as grades, transcripts, courses histories, and more), but other data is useful for pedagogical improvements. Other data is helpful for administrative purposes in predictive models and classification of possible student outcomes (Kumar & Vijayalakshmi, 2012). Analysis of student data can also be valuable to improve student success metrics when used to make improvements to courses or assignments. As more students, faculty, and administrators interact with school-related programs and learning management systems, increasing volumes of data can be collected and retained on a growing subset of the general population.