We live in the world of “Big Data.” That is the new way people are trying to
describe this sea of digital facts, figures, products, books, music, video, and much more.
All of this is at our fingertips through computers and smart phones. And there is a lot of
data. Eric Schmidt, executive chairman for Google, estimates that humans now create in
two days the same amount of data that it took from the dawn of civilization until 2003 to
create. No wonder people say we live in the world of “Big Data.”
This remarkable change in our world has happened quickly and seamlessly.
Today we take for granted that we can create data and access data instantaneously. Pick
up the book, The Human Face of Big Data, and look at the pictures and stories that
describe the powerful impact the tsunami of data is having on our lives and our world.
Look at how this vast amount of data is being used by individuals, universities, and
companies to answer questions, pull together information, and persuade us to purchase
various goods and services.
One article in USA Today explains how “Big Data” will transform our lives and
lifestyles. Retailers can target you with online purchasing appeals because of the data
they already collect from you when you are online. They can suggest books, videos, and
various products you would be interested in based upon previous searches or purchases.
If you have a smartphone, think of how you already depend upon it in ways that
would have been unimaginable a decade ago. It can help answer a question someone
poses. It can direct you to a place to eat. If you need gas for your car, it can tell you
where the closest gas station is located.
“Big Data” also provides power through instant access to information. Juan
Enriquez, author of As the Future Catches You, writes that “today a street stall in
Mumbai can access more information, maps, statistics, academic papers, price trends,
futures markets and data than a U.S. president could only a few decades ago.”
Welcome to the world of “Big Data.” We have more information at our fingertips
than any generation in history. It will be important to use it wisely.