Click goes the mouse and whir go the computers. Another clue about you has just been provided to the numerati. That is the name Stephen Baker has given to the scientists, mathematicians, and engineers that are making a business out of analyzing data collected over the internet (and any other place they can get it).
Who are these numerati and what exactly are they doing with all that data about where we shop, how much we pay, what we do online, what we read and write about in blogs, and so many other things? Just about every action a person takes on the internet provides some clue about human behavior that is of value to businesses, political scientists, doctors, and many others.
In The Numerati Stephen Baker gets to know the entrepreneurs and data geeks who are building huge data bases of behavioral information along with the software needed to collect and analyze it. What then? Why they want to either sell you something, influence your actions, or make your life better. The lines get a bit blurry, as it often seems that a company would like to make a buck and make your life better both at the same time.
Baker has been writing for more than twenty years for publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe and The Philadelphia Enquirer. In The Numerati he has produced a well-researched and interesting look into a world that we are all vaguely aware exists, but usually don't think too much about.
The Data Stream Flows On
The Numerati is organized by chapter along pretty simple yet sensible lines. The chapter titles give a good indication of the topics that are most interesting to data miners. These are: Worker, Shopper, Voter, Blogger, Terrorist, Patient, and Lover.
Baker has taken the time to meet with the people who are thinking hard about how to use data to understand people and make things better for employers, politicians, and sometimes even the individuals whose data is being mined. They seem like nice enough folks. They are willing to sell their data to anyone who wants it. It seems that lots of people want it.
Data mining on such a massive scale as is now taking place over the internet is a prime example of an entire business sector that did not exist until recently. How the data are interpreted is where the real value is created and it is fascinating to read about the different approaches to creating information out of raw data.
People are not easy to understand and do not always act rationally. Can software really create useful models of human behavior? It all comes down to numbers, and the numbers keep getting better and better as the analytical engines and computer models are continually tested, updated, and improved.
Personal Data For Good and Bad
The world of the numerati is a dynamic place and there is plenty of room for the next big thing in data mining. At any time, a company could arise with a new way to provide useful information that other companies will be willing to pay big money for.
Grocery stores are experimenting with putting tracking devices in carts to collect data on how people navigate around the store so they can fine tune their sales strategies. Some retailers might actually want to use personal data to actually discourage certain kinds of customers from coming into the store based on an analysis of their shopping and spending habits. Who wants to be put in that category?
Would you like it if a political cold-caller knew enough about you to use just the right words to convince you to vote for their candidate? The candidate surely would.
But what if personal monitoring of sleep patterns, walking mechanics, or even word usage could predict diseases years in advance of onset so that treatments could be initiated earlier with greater benefit? Who wouldn't want that?
It isn't necessary to be keen on computers, the Internet or number crunching to enjoy The Numerati (but it would certainly help). Anyone with an interest in how their personal data are and will used in an increasingly digitized world, both with and without their knowledge or permission, will be given lots to think about in The Numerati.
References
The Numerati; Stephen Baker; Houghton Mifflin; New York, NY: 2008
Philip McIntosh - The author holds a B.Sc. in Botany and Chemistry and an M.A in Biology and he has thirty + years of experience in science and industry.
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