BIG DATA SOCIETY

By Aaron Kiegaldie and Liam OBrien

What is Big Social Data

Endless streams of data generated through the use of social media. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Linked In. All the information we make available through the use of our social media sites is then made available in an abundant field of big data.

This massive amount of data is then readily available for differing fields and corporations to use and quantify in order to enhance the effectiveness of their products and businesses.

Big Businesses Logistics Health Financial

Big Social Data is argued as having both positive and negative aspects.

The Three Vs

Volume: There is large amounts of data. Velocity: Needs to be analyzed quickly Variety: Different types of structured and unstructured data.

Explaining Big Data

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D1CQ_LOizA

Simple understanding of Big Data

Social Media and Big Data

Manovich (2011) states that the emergence of social media created opportunities to study social and cultural processes and dynamics in new ways. For the first time, data analysis can focus on direct:

Imaginations Opinions Ideas Feelings

Analysts do not need to ask for permission to access this data as users themselves encourage this activity by making this information public.

Social Media and Big Data

The rise of social media along with advances in computational tools that can process huge amounts of data makes possible a new approach for study on human beings and society. (Manovich 2011) Data Depth, Data Size and Sample Size is no longer an issue The data that can be quantified in modern times due to social media is so vast and accurate that analysts can get exact indications of trends relating to any form of topic.

Example - Google

Google Seach Googles algorithms analyze billions of web pages. System called Application Programming Interface (API

Facebook Twitter FlickR

Google use this ability to search in order to gain greater knowledge on each individual user. This is how Google is able to refine searches to a particular user and offer users particular pages that may interest them. Many sites do this however Google does not make these Big Data set results available to the public.

Question

In groups discuss the idea of big data and what you understand about the concept.

Cautious Optimism

Manovich (2011), sketches an optimistic view over this new existing paradigm of Big Data relating to social media and humanities. If used in positive ways Healthcare, Logistics, Efficient Internet Usage, Research. It is a brilliant use of the advancement in computer technology. However, there is an array of privacy issues in relation to specific internet users.

Cautious Optimism

Neyfakh (2011), writes about an entirely new way of understanding these Big Social Data sets. Public ownership of Data (All anonymous). Small group of thinkers want to pool together billions of sets of data into a public domain. Government, businesses/companies and researchers can access these massive sets of data in order to positively affect society by:

Setting better policy More effectively running institutions Promotion of public health More accurate understanding of who we are as people.

Moving Forward

Big data will continue to grow The digitization, lack of time for intervention and instability that big data creates will lead us to develop whole new ways of managing information that go well beyond Hadoop and distributed computing. Provides a huge opportunity and challenge to software vendors and their customers.

Class Discussion

Do you believe Big Social Data will bring positive outcomes in years to come or will there always be debate surrounding privacy and confidentiality of information?

References

Cote, M. (2012). Our Data, Ourselves. Our Data?. London School of Economics. Public Lecture. Pp 1-8 Manovich, L. (2011). Trending: The promises and the Challenges of Big Social Data. Media Studies Future, pp 1-17. Neyfakh, L, (2011). Out Data, Ourselves. The Boston Globe, pp 1-4