Using “Data”

As the months roll by, conversations about big data and analytics are popping up more and more in the mainstream media. Where once this was a topic for the back rooms, we are now seeing “Data” news on the daily.

The second half of 2018 has seen news articles about solving murder cold cases with genealogy records by comparing DNA sequences. For a lot of the general public this hits close to home.

For those of us in business - we are having to make use of data collection and analytics just to remain competitive in the market. For the run of the mill consumer, getting killers off the streets is a much more compelling reason for big data. 

It goes without saying that as a whole, humans don’t like to be considered as a number or data string. However, with the world of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and even platforms such as genealogy databases, we are giving up our data for free more than ever.

In the case of the genealogy databases, the analysts don’t even need you to have given up your DNA. All they require is for a relative to have donated their sequences to narrow the search fields and lead back to you. 

If you find this scary, maybe it is time to consider how much of your personal information you are giving away on the daily. Consider your shopping rewards cards (woolworths, coles, flybys etc) and your online browsing or purchasing activities. 

The message I am trying to get across is not to move off grid and go into hiding, but to embrace this new age of change. Yes it can be scary and at times a little invasive, but it is definitely not going away.

If you weigh up the good’s and bad‘s of this new world in a serious assessment, most of us (particularly in the business world) can see the benefits. Of course to assess this accurately you are going to need access to some serious “Data”.