Big data may be a big buzzword, but it’s implications are bombarding the business world, offering new insights to old problems and connecting the dots where previously no dots were even seen. It’s a changing space out there, where what you like on Facebook can tell a marketer your inner-most desires, where the speed of algorithms concerns us more than the speed of light, where monuments and memorials are built to honor the humanity in us all — from a data standpoint.
So, yes…big data may indeed be a buzzword, but it’s influence on our business models, our lives and even on the grography of our planet is only beginning. These five Ted Talks get to the heart of the massive shift in perception when it comes to utilizing data, from the security to the oddities and everything in between. It’s time to learn up on the data revolution, and begin to understand your data rights.
Plus, it’s Friday — and all of these talks are just really cool.
In this 10 minute talk, Jennifer Golbeck gets to the bottom of social media data — making a case for the truly holistic information each of us shares. For instance, liking “Curly Fries” on Facebook has a high correlation with intelligence, but not because smart people just happen to like curly fries. Instead, based on algorithms and correlations across an individual’s social network, anything can be predicted based on a seemingly unrelated “Like” or “Follow,” including intelligence, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation and more.
