How big data impacts society

Maya Morita

mm294318@ohio.edu

Big data is defined as collecting large amounts of information through internet sites, social media sites, etc. That allows sites to track their visitors and gather demographic and psychographic information. However, there are a variety of issues that accompany this data collection.

One complication that arises with data is the lack of knowledge surrounding it. Companies often lack educated professionals to handle data. According to the article "Top 6 Big Data Challenges" by Xenonstack, "companies fail their big data initiative, all thanks to insufficient understanding. Employees might not know what data is, its storage, processing, importance, and sources." Ultimately, corporations that intend to use data need to ensure there are skilled professionals to ensure it is appropriately used.

Another significant issue surrounding data is the lack of security. It is not uncommon for data breaches in websites to expose personal data information for thousands of people. For example, the article "Biggest Data Breaches in History" by Techjury lists the most impactful data breaches that occurred on vastly used websites. In addition, the article discusses Yahoo's data breach in 2016 and exposed records from three billion accounts. That included full names, birthdates, emails and passwords, and security questions/answers. 

Politicians have begun to utilize this data to sway voter opinions. For example, in the article "How Politicians are Misusing Big Data for Their Gains" by Analytics Insight, the author states, "polarization is not just polluting the system, it paralyzes fair political methods. Demographic data have made it easier for campaigns to target their base instead of appealing to a broad swath of voters." This data usage has eliminated traditional campaign strategies and has created an enormous gap between political parties.

This data has begun to enter the journalistic world as well. However, it is not the best source of information. According to the article "How is Big Data Technology Impacting Journalism" by What's New in Publishing, journalists have begun to publish this data without context or information. That ultimately contradicts the journalistic principle to inform the public. 

Big data has imposed a multitude of challenges throughout society. However, this can be solved with education by companies, politicians, journalists, and even consumers.