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What is the core of your research?
I study how data has gone from critical to completely basic and disruptive online. Today, just type a subject into a search engine and all the information on that topic will appear right in front of you. This is an amazing collection of data sorted to our requirements. My job is to study the evolution of this.
A series of technological innovations at the turn of the 20th century completely changed the way we use data. In the past, the “needle in the haystack” principle was applied to large amounts of data, and it took a lot of time to find what I needed. But his two innovations, both at Google, changed this. The first was Hadoop, which allowed unlimited data storage in multiple locations on inexpensive servers. Today we call this the cloud. The second was an innovation by Google founder Sergey Brin. He created a troll, a way to search through haystacks in an incredibly short amount of time.
Can you quantify the scale of big data online today?
Consider how every individual is profiled over 3,000 times in a database run by a data broker. These collections of information about you include facts such as whether you have pets, what your political preferences are, and the hobbies of your friends. You can also use a little algebra to estimate your income, wealth status, net worth, and more.
Currently, the contribution of these data practices in the US is about 10% of GDP. We conduct a survey every four years that enumerates the value of the Internet and its services. We found that these sizes were increasing at a rate of 20% per year. This means that every few years a whole new range of data-dependent activities emerge. The last big issue was the introduction of streaming video. We are currently studying the data that will enable the rise of the self-employed, from influencers to ride drivers to musicians and more.
How has big data changed advertising?
Extruded in two opposite directions. On the one hand, methods such as tracking, first- and third-party his cookies, mobile his fingerprinting, etc. can be called surveillance. The US and Europe have introduced legislation to limit this for privacy reasons. But little is really hindering the ability of digital advertising to reach highly precise targets. First-party information obtained by a company through its relationship with its customers is considered the property of the company. On the one hand, big data allows us to express ourselves and take the stage on political, social issues, and more. Personally-identifying data is the point of this exercise, not price, and I don’t mind being monitored in this context. This urge to express our identity thwarts regulations that prioritize privacy.
The ad itself was completely reconstructed with data. Nothing reveals its invasive potential more than how a search for a product online immediately brings up suggestions for similar products. Obviously, it’s being monitored. However, the same practice is happening offline as well. Recently, it turned out that a major US retailer had developed a model to predict customer parentage. Becoming a parent is a big retail event in the US because it changes your shopping habits a lot. Based on first-party data, the chain has developed an algorithm regarding probable parentage using other sources of information such as unscented cosmetics people have purchased and credit cards. This reveals just how much surveillance offline retailers are now involved in as well.
Is data changing us beyond our shopping habits?
It’s changing our sense of ourselves. Digital infrastructure allows us to befriend people, date them, express opinions, and form allegiances. Thanks to big data, we can now get married without relying on family and community networks. This algorithm effectively acts as a parent, matching us with partners such as books, food, music, and lovers. This is a radical restructuring of society. Started just 20 years ago, it’s also incredibly fast. We are already approaching a major shift when what we think of as “big data” now seems utterly insignificant.
Why do you write that society is “paranoid” or “naive” about data?
This “delusion” shows how legislators imagine that dismantling large tech conglomerates will bring us back to a more innocent era. However, future increases in data volumes will undermine existing monopolies. It’s easy to imagine a new Google waiting to launch that can do things on a much larger scale. Dedicated to curbing the biggest tech companies is nothing more than closing the door on stable after the horse is bolted. On the other hand, we are naive when we don’t consider the use of the data. We need more public interest in what big data means for us.
Did Indian IT professionals contribute to the rise of data around the world?
absolutely. The growth in data also largely reflects the talents of the people of the Indian subcontinent. It is very difficult to imagine a big data revolution without the contribution of the people of India.
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