Drew Conway discusses the evils of word clouds. He doesn’t go far enough: the meaning of speeches and texts depends on the order and proximity of words, not the frequency of their appearance.
Consider the two wordles below of famous addresses.
They’re both meaningless hash. They tell us virtually nothing of any importance about the two speeches.
Daniel H. Nexon is a Professor at Georgetown University, with a joint appointment in the Department of Government and the School of Foreign Service. His academic work focuses on international-relations theory, power politics, empires and hegemony, and international order. He has also written on the relationship between popular culture and world politics.
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