What is Big Data?
, “Big Data” is attractive to psychologists, because research on the effects of social media on
behaviour and health can be confounded by:
• Sample bias
• Inadequate measurements
• Poor data analysis
• People sometimes lie!!!
Exposing the biases and secrets within us
People lie to friends, lovers, doctors, pollsters - and to themselves.
In Internet searches, however, people confess their secrets - about sexless marriages, mental health
problems, even racist views!
Big data offers astonishing, even revolutionary, insights into humankind.
Anxiety does not increase after a terrorist attack.
Crime levels drop when a violent film is released.
And racist searches are no higher in Republican areas than in Democrat ones.
Companies make money from our personal data
• If you change your relationship status to ‘Engaged’, you’re likely to see dozens of wedding
related adverts.
• Recently lost your job? Facebook knows about that too. You’ll suddenly see training courses,
recruitment agencies, and job postings galore.
• Geographical data (from mobile phones usage) is invaluable to potential advertisers, as it
shows who is in their catchment area.
• Companies and governments dip into the data streams of our lives in increasingly innovative
ways, tracking what we do, who we know and where we go.
• Data appropriation is a form of exploitation because companies use data to create value
without providing people with comparable compensation.
, “Big Data” is attractive to psychologists, because research on the effects of social media on
behaviour and health can be confounded by:
• Sample bias
• Inadequate measurements
• Poor data analysis
• People sometimes lie!!!
Exposing the biases and secrets within us
People lie to friends, lovers, doctors, pollsters - and to themselves.
In Internet searches, however, people confess their secrets - about sexless marriages, mental health
problems, even racist views!
Big data offers astonishing, even revolutionary, insights into humankind.
Anxiety does not increase after a terrorist attack.
Crime levels drop when a violent film is released.
And racist searches are no higher in Republican areas than in Democrat ones.
Companies make money from our personal data
• If you change your relationship status to ‘Engaged’, you’re likely to see dozens of wedding
related adverts.
• Recently lost your job? Facebook knows about that too. You’ll suddenly see training courses,
recruitment agencies, and job postings galore.
• Geographical data (from mobile phones usage) is invaluable to potential advertisers, as it
shows who is in their catchment area.
• Companies and governments dip into the data streams of our lives in increasingly innovative
ways, tracking what we do, who we know and where we go.
• Data appropriation is a form of exploitation because companies use data to create value
without providing people with comparable compensation.
