Sorting through all the data

I have several thoughts on the article Demystifying Big Data and the YouTube video about the history of the internet. In regards to the article about big data, the task of actually using this data to make analysis and the challenges that task presents was made quite clear. The numbers we use when talking about the data points, which are measured in the millions and even the billions, are so large it is difficult to think of a logical way to parse through all these data points. The fact that there is a discrepancy in how retailers plan to focus their big data initiatives and how they actually expect to deploy their first big data projects is interesting. It points to the fact that there may not be one right answer and in a universe of numbers and hard facts, analyzing this data and figuring out how to use it may be more subjective in nature. Even the five step plan for how to develop a big data game plan is riddled with points that are subjective to the manager or business leader who is making the plan.  I wonder how this whole process can become more objective. And if that is possible, my next question would be- do we even want it to be totally objective in nature? Marketing is a science and an art, and would taking the subjectivity out of these big data points make marketing lose its art form?

The video about the history of the internet gave me a lot of things to think about too. I was surprised to learn about the facts of how the internet came to be, and I was surprised that this information is not more commonly known. I did learn in school that the internet started for defense purposes, as so many of the best inventions do, but I had no clue as to the international scope of the project. In school everyone learned about the invention of the light bulb because that was a pivotal turning point in American history. Why don’t we learn about this equally important contemporary innovation? The fact that the building blocks of the internet were for commercial and scientific purposes in addition to defense purposes gives an already complex system another layer of complexity for me. The early innovators of the internet had forethought to understand the potential with this technology. Today the internet is used for a myriad of purposes, but the fact that they saw how it can be used for civilian needs is incredible considering that the technology was still in its infancy. This makes me question if the technology has reached a point of maturity, or if it will continue to exponentially advance? Will there be a video in 2053 talking about the notions of Twitter and Facebook and how these groundbreaking websites helped usher in the explosion of social media? My guess is that the internet has certainly not reached its peak in potential; however the exponential growth rate will likely have to slow down at some point.