Humanitarian ignorance: towards a new paradigm of non-knowledge in digital humanitarianism

Abstract

This paper introduces the notion of ‘humanitarian ignorance’ to address growing concern regarding non-knowledge, as datafication becomes a central instrument and ambition of the humanitarian sector. With the turn to digital humanitarianism, contemporary humanitarian action increasingly relies on technology-driven quantification to expand the ability to collect, analyse, and present information. Utilising datafication processes, humanitarian organisations seek to assess ‘risk’ and mitigate ‘uncertainty’ more efficiently. Although central to their knowledge management and decision-making in low information circumstances, the conceptual notions of ‘risk’ and ‘uncertainty’ are inadequate to capture the full spectrum of non-knowledge in a time of digital humanitarianism. We introduce ‘humanitarian ignorance’ here to challenge the assumption that datafication allows humanitarian organisations to make fully informed, delimited, and thus ‘better’ decisions. Ultimately, we accentuate the paradox that while datafication is thought to reduce risk and uncertainty in humanitarian affairs by suggesting higher levels of control, insight, and certainty, these efforts in fact open new expanses of ignorance and unknowns.