Survey Says Big Data is Seen as Positive and Compellingly Powerful

The hyoptheses for potential usages of analytic technologies range from predicting and stopping nefarious deeds to curing AIDS. An article from GigaOM asserts that sentiment as well as that of 1984. "Good Big Data, Bad Big Data" suggests that private data from individuals will be utilized by the government or powerful corporations for those entities own benefit.

A Pew Research Center report called The Future of Big Data is meant to capture the average person's attitudes and perceptions towards the Internet and big data. The participants are non-random and were presented an opt-in invitation from Twitter, Facebook or email. The sample consists of 1,021 Internet experts and other Internet users.

The article referenced above states that 39 percent of respondents agreed with the following:

[Big data will] cause more problems than it solves by 2020. The existence of huge data sets for analysis will engender false confidence in our predictive powers and will lead many to make significant and hurtful mistakes. Moreover, misused by powerful people and institutions with selfish agendas who manipulate findings to make the case for what they want.

Fifty-three percent, however, related more to the positive outlook presented by the survey. Even though surveys may show divided positive and negative responses, we think this should be chalked up to a lack of knowledge about the powers and security measures inherent in big data solutions.

Megan Feil, July 26, 2012