Big Data: Big Brother is watching you!

 

Big Data is all around us, but do you really understand what it means?

What is Big Data?

To put it simply, Big Data is all the data collected on the Internet. Every like, every comment, every photo posted - all of this is collected and stored. Data is even stored regarding whether or not we clicked an advertisement or not. It records our habits and our everyday life. Even the items that we purchase with our credit card is part of Big Data. Nearly EVERY part of our life is stored somewhere. In other words, Big Data is "like a brain that remembers each and every thing that happens on the Internet". All of this information makes up Big Data. 

In the past, collecting data was an ordeal. It would take years and years to record and compile data. However, with the help of computers, data collecting is far faster and easier than ever before. According to CrashCourse, John Mashey is the first to have coined the word “Big Data”. It is said that he used this word to describe the extent to which Big Data is complex. It is so big that even tools that are normally used to “interpret data , just can’t handle it”. 

The world we live in now is almost entirely interconnected. Nowadays, we depend almost entirely on the Internet. With the internet and smart devices, everything that we do is now monitored. For example, Coca Cola used data collected from their restaurant machines to find out which flavor to put out. 

Just like space is so incomprehensibly large, the amount of Big Data stored is beyond our understanding. 

How is Big Data used?

The data that we provide to the Internet reveals more than we think. When we like something on Facebook, we are showing the company who we are. They will know that I, for example, am a young American mixed-race woman who lives in France. This is information that I provided on Facebook freely, on my own will. Facebook, for instance, puts certain types of people into categories. This then makes it possible for advertising companies to recommend certain items to certain people. 

Nowadays Big Data is used for many ways. Big Data is most widely used to understand and target customers. With the help of Big Data, we can see what types of items certain customers prefer and their buying habits. We are also able to determine who will win presidential elections and how well an item will sell. 

Big Data is also improving health care. When data is collected, it allows us to better understand and interpret patterns. Studies can also be conducted regarding the amount of time we spend outside or the amount of exercise we do. Our data can also save peoples' lives. By providing our personal data, we are allowing researchers to comprehend our health conditions. 

It is also used for security reasons. In China, for example, security cameras are on nearly every street corner. In certain cities, an image of every resident is collected and used to keep the city safe and out of harm. The surveillance cameras in China use artificial intelligence and can therefore recognize faces. Although there are many benefits to how these cameras that collect data can help citizens, many people do not agree with the extent to which it is used. 

According to Kristoffer Bonheur:

Pros of Big Data:

• Target customers based on specific data 
• Innovation in artificial intelligence 
• Makes online businesses more productive 

Cons of Big Data:

• Problems regarding capability and capacity of technology to store and interpret data 
• Privacy concerns 
• Security concerns 

Take a look at these videos for more information:

Intro to Big Data: Crash Course Statistics #38

China: "the world's biggest camera surveillance network" - BBC News

Websites used:

https://www.profolus.com/topics/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-big-data/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNf4-d6fDoY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vku2Bw7Vkfs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq38ZLLi5Rg
https://www.bernardmarr.com/default.asp?contentID=1076