Based on the readings (and the videos in the 06 Data & Information chapter) above, do you think that big data and data analytics introduce real threats to human culture or do they promise revolutionary changes that will ultimately benefit human life? What can we do to ensure that our digital technologies work to improve human and nonhuman lives?
I think there is an endless scope of harm that big data and analytics can cause to human culture, if we were to manufacture and allow these means to take place. Douglas Rushkoff eloquently described the doomsday-prep scenario he experienced with a few modern-day tech titans and how this encounter was entirely against how we should be functioning as a society or community of values. He perfectly described that – we should be using the capabilities and technology we have today to propel EVERYONE towards a better future instead of using it to the exploit the many for the profit of the few. In the process of exploitation and attempting to squeeze every cent you can out of the world you live in, comes a price to pay, both on a global and personal scale. These systems effects take exponential effects and dehumanize people as “consumers” or data points and may even have long-term environmental implications. Social media exacerbates this principle through mass data gathering and analytics. It further drives the idea that people are around to be farmed for information to profit from said information. I think the evolution of this practice could eventually lead to an instance of a dystopian future we would typically see in Black Mirror or Blade Runner, where advertisements would be specifically tailored to your person wherever you go , or have a paywall to proceed with your day.
On the opposite end, this same data analysis and big data technology can certainly be used to project the world as we know it to a better place. With certain analytic systems in place that allow you to track how susceptible certain people are to contracting various diseases, how to reverse the effects of pollution and climate change, or even how to more accurately assess where you’re most likely to get a parking ticket and take action on what to do to prevent future occurrences of this from happening. The spectrum of benefits to detriments seems to extend infinitely both ways.