The terms ‘indices’ and ‘indicators’ may immediately cause eyelids to droop. How, then, might they serve to impassion publics and, ultimately, promote social change? This paper examines the extent to which indices and indicators can be considered communication tools for social movements and social change. The analysis is based on a 2018 evaluation of one index based in the United States – the Ranking Digital Rights Index, which assesses privacy and freedom of expression in the ICT space – and incorporates interviews with civil society stakeholders. Bringing theory from the fields of journalism and social movements together with the data from the evaluation, the findings suggest indices can serve as useful communication resources for social movements under certain circumstances. In particular, the analysis suggests three communication resources – legitimate information, newsworthy information, and flexible information – that human rights indices are most likely to provide.

中文翻译：

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从统计到故事：指数和指标作为社会变革的沟通工具

术语“指数”和“指标”可能会立即导致眼睑下垂。那么，它们如何激发公众的热情，并最终促进社会变革？本文研究了指数和指标在多大程度上可以被视为社会运动和社会变革的交流工具。该分析基于 2018 年对美国一项指数的评估——数字权利排名指数，该指数评估 ICT 领域的隐私和言论自由——并结合了对民间社会利益相关者的采访。将新闻和社会运动领域的理论与评估数据结合起来，研究结果表明，在某些情况下，指数可以作为社会运动的有用沟通资源。尤其是，