I wonder what is the role of hype in the scientific progress, or progress in general. Is there evidence that it pushes it forward?
Ask HN: Was data science just hype?
41–50 of 81 posts
Re: Ask HN: Was data science just hype?
#42Two thoughts:
1) Much of this is the bias of this community towards new and more more technical companies. At many of our work places Data Science is just part of the landscape and is now baked in. But there is a wide gap between that and legacy companies where the idea of using these techniques this way isn't new at all. In other words we've been through the initial wave of the hype curve and are now into mainstream growth of the idea.
2) Branding matters. In many companies that I get to interact with (fortune 100s) run-of-the mill analysts exist for ass-covering the non-data-based decisions of higher ups. Post-hoc decision justifying. But DS teams (currently) actually get a seat at the table and get listened to. If for nothing else that makes DS way more effective then just BI or whatever. And as long as we get things right that should turn into a virtuous cycle of being heard, being seen to contribute, and being asked to contribute more.
Re: Ask HN: Was data science just hype?
#43My guess is that data science roles will merge with business analyst roles. Python and r will slowly join excel as tools of choice for making tables and charts to stick in powerpoint slides and pdf reports. Meanwhile the machine learning side of things will be the domain of _something_ engineers with candidates more likely to come from the computer science/math/engineer world rather than the sciences. (Other then tho…
> My guess is that data science roles will merge with business analyst roles. Data Scientist is a buzz word for Statistician. Business Analyst is buzz word for Industrial Engineer. For example 10 years ago if you studied at my university you would witness that some Statistics students were doing second major mostly at Industrial Engineering and vice versa. They are already related for many years but average Joe has n…
Eh. I'd say "industrial engineer" has more bullshit in it than "business analyst" by a long shot. The twenty or early thirty something spending all day in powerpoint and excel to make presentations and handouts for a fifty or sixty something to present to other fifty and sixty somethings is more likely to have majored in economics, business, and/or have an MBA than to have spent any time anywhere near an engineering department.
Re: Ask HN: Was data science just hype?
#44There's a lot of hype in software. Just like you were hearing about Blockchain startups only when Bitcoin started trading at 5 bazillion USD and now you don't hear nearly as much about it. During 2008-2015ish we went through an insane churn of new JavaScript frameworks and NoSQL database hype. Yeah it seems to have calmed, but I don't think data science was just hype because it comes from (and somewhat is) probabilit…
> IMO this is a phenomenon exacerbated by venture capital. Not just VCs. It's a whole mafia gang consisting of tech reporters and founders also. They all have their vested interests - reporters want new stories and founders want funding and growth. Slack, VR, AR - they all went through this cycle. Sometimes, it's a bit annoying.
Right, I don't mean the VCs themselves or any particular parties - rather more the expanded role of venture capital in tech startups (esp. looking for unicorns) allowing companies to ride out net losses for long periods of time, distorts our perception of technology and business in a variety of ways, including this hype problem.
Re: Ask HN: Was data science just hype?
#45There's a lot of hype in software. Just like you were hearing about Blockchain startups only when Bitcoin started trading at 5 bazillion USD and now you don't hear nearly as much about it. During 2008-2015ish we went through an insane churn of new JavaScript frameworks and NoSQL database hype. Yeah it seems to have calmed, but I don't think data science was just hype because it comes from (and somewhat is) probabilit…
That hype in software is the reason I wrote a media literacy guide for software engineers. Hype makes it easy to get free marketing and also drives clicks for media and social networks. https://github.com/nemild/hack-the-media/blob/master/softwar...
I've always had this suspicion that open source software is some kind of propaganda, that it's not purely organic. The work is hard, the benefits are huge, yet the contributors are paid zilch. If I were a big company I would for sure want to win "the hearts of engineers" as you say, to sway them to contribute software critical to my needs, and to pay nothing for it.
Re: Ask HN: Was data science just hype?
#46There's a lot of hype in software. Just like you were hearing about Blockchain startups only when Bitcoin started trading at 5 bazillion USD and now you don't hear nearly as much about it. During 2008-2015ish we went through an insane churn of new JavaScript frameworks and NoSQL database hype. Yeah it seems to have calmed, but I don't think data science was just hype because it comes from (and somewhat is) probabilit…
What might be a good indicator: is "data science" taught in major universities?
For us, “data science” is just doing research on the company’s data. We hire trained researchers - PhDs or PhD candidate dropouts - regardless of specialization. One of our most prolific and respected trained in political science.
Re: Ask HN: Was data science just hype?
#47With the cloud came a lot of data, so 'big data' was a wave in which Engineers had to deal with ti, and 'data science' was the wave in which we tried to leverage it.
The reality is that most insight from 'big data' are optimizations. They're not going to move the needle on the business as perhaps we would have hoped.
Data Science focused on ad targeting - now that might move the needled.
And of course, maybe some Data Science working along side AI engineers make a breakthrough which could move the needle.
But from a high level, CEO's view, all of these things have trendy undercurrents, the trick is to figure out how much of it really matters to the business.
The 'wins' for consumers will be slow: maybe better product search, better ads. Maybe they figure out how to send flights around ugly weather or how to slot landing times for an x% decrease in flight delays. Or slot road fixing/lights for an x% decrease in traffic delays.
Re: Ask HN: Was data science just hype?
#48The "data scientist" where I recently contracted struggles with generating basic reports. I saw a full page SQL query with the caption "yeah, data science is hard" posted to slack. Terrifying.
I think the term "data science" is often misused. It seems to make management feel like they are on the cutting edge. They were talking about AI and a R&D department the other day. They aren't even making use of simple heuristics yet! I guess that talk helps with fundraising though.
Re: Ask HN: Was data science just hype?
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
That hype in software is the reason I wrote a media literacy guide for software engineers. Hype makes it easy to get free marketing and also drives clicks for media and social networks. https://github.com/nemild/hack-the-media/blob/master/softwar...
Nice, at a glance this is pretty well-detailed. Bookmarked. Wait, I've been hacked!
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Re: Ask HN: Was data science just hype?
#50It wasn't 'just' hype, but it was over-hyped. There are companies that have their act together from a data standpoint and can make use of data scientists, whatever that term actually means in the context of their organization, but most can't. So the companies who spun up a data science initiative but had no business doing so are now likely saying things like 'what do you mean we don't have the necessary data?' and 'w…
If the data is a mess, cleaning it up is very much legitimate data science work in my opinion.