I recently finished a book about data - the collection, visualization, and future of its uses. Data is everywhere and used for a lot of things. I've worked with data in some form or another throughout my entire career (so far).
This book is called "Living in Data" by Jer Thorp. In the book, Thorp details his many adventures around the world collecting data (including several trips to Africa and National Parks in America), working on new ways to visualize data (including a theater company in London who put on a performance using rice to explain populations around the world), and how who controls data also controls a lot of power.
That last part isn't meant to scare you guys so much as emphasize the importance and dangers of data collection.
Thorp has had an amazing career collecting, analyzing, and visualizing data. Part of me wishes I could go on the same adventures to collect data (though I don't know how I would have handled seeing hippopotamuses in real life - they are scary). Thorp famously helped create the design for the World Trade Center Memorial in New York City. He designed a formula to make sure that the names of people who lost their lives were near their friends and/or family.
However, much of this book focuses on the future of data and the people who are collecting it.
Most of us are already familiar with how social media sites have been tracking us for years, collecting so much data on use that they've managed to personalize our ads. Every few years there's a story that floats around the Internet about a man receiving coupons from a big box store for baby clothes and diapers. The man goes to the store in a huff - demanding to know why his family is getting this targeted ad campaign when they don't have little kids (they have teenagers). The store apologized for the mix up and says it won't happen again. Then, a few days later the man returns to the store to apologize for getting angry. Apparently his teenage daughter is expecting a baby. The store used the data they had collected on the family to anticipate the family's future buying needs and exposed the fact that a teenager was pregnant.
Creeped out?
Though most targeted ad campaigns are quite that good, it's no secret that companies are collecting a lot of data on people...and making a lot of money while doing it.
Whoever said data is the new crude oil wasn't kidding.
And while there's lot of data being collected, there's some that purposefully not being collected. Knowledge is power and when that knowledge is squashed or withheld, it can lead to a suppression of power. Thorp goes in to a great deal of detail about how certain data sets have been prevented from being collected because the people in power don't want the knowledge to get out. Additionally, not having access to data that is being collected is another hurdle. Just because data exists doesn't mean that the average person can access it, analyze it, or publish it. Data sets can cost money (see previous statement about getting rich off data), be difficult to understand if the methodology isn't obvious, and possibly manipulated to the point where it becomes meaningless.
However, even with access to data, there are dangers of releasing it. Many countries in Africa won't allow the release of migration data on elephants. Why? Because poachers might use it to track down and kill the elephants being tracked.
Data is dangerous when it's known and when it's unknown.
So how do we balance this dichotomy?
Thorp doesn't offer any solutions...and to be honest, neither can I. I have always preferred having access to more data than less, but I also understand how data can be overwhelming (especially to non-math people) and nonsensical if it doesn't tell a good story.
Data has become a tool for wealth can power. What can we do about it? Who gets to decide how it's accessed? How should it be analyzed?
I don't know and neither does Thorp.
However, I do think pressure is mounting on governments to do something - such as regulating the collection (it's already in place for children - kind of) and mitigating targeted advertising. Our lives are so intertwined with the companies that collect our data that it's difficult to separate ourselves without leaving society at large.
Like many of our modern problems, the solutions won't be easy and we'll be up against people who don't want to see change.
But that's why we need to keep learning about what is going on and how the world is interconnected.
I hope I didn't scare you with this post. My goal is to inform and give a book recommendation.
Until next week.
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