The power of Big Data and the failures of online advertising
Data is the new oil. Big data is poised to transform society. Soon everybody from individuals to government will be measuring and optimizing everything possible. In the meantime, though, lots of things may go wrong. There is an article out there on this very topic. It says that “nothing underscores the consequences of data analysis gone awry more than the story of Robert McNamara”. Maybe. As far as I’m concerned instead, nothing screams “data analysis gone awry” like the banner I found in that article and the point where it was placed:
Big Data or Big Awkwardness?
Who writes this, why, and how to help
I am Marco Fioretti, tech writer and aspiring polymath doing human-digital research and popularization.
I do it because YOUR civil rights and the quality of YOUR life depend every year more on how software is used AROUND you.
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