Big Data Is Booming but Big Results Are Lacking

Post by JPKab » Thu, Jun 06, 2013, 2:01 PM UTC

dizzystar wrote: post #7

I think the article hit the nail on the head: data phobia. It is a very tough sell to tell people that their intuitions are wrong, especially when certain practices and beliefs are long entrenched. It is hard for me to describe to anyone the resistance to anything you present if you haven't been there. The expectations for accuracy are far beyond what can be realistically accomplished. It is humiliating and frustrati…

This reaction can vary heavily depending on the traits of the executives, and unfortunately, the kind of personality that gets to the top in embedded corporate hierarchies tends to be people who are excellent at the image of productivity rather than true productivity. To these people, there is nothing more threatening than objective facts. They can manipulate and hide from reality with the subjective. The objective is a new world where they are exposed for the frauds that they are.

The U.S. Federal Government is packed with these types.

Post by JPKab » Thu, Jun 06, 2013, 2:06 PM UTC

buzzwordjunkie wrote: post #3

kyllo wrote: post #2

In the corporate world, this is because the purpose of enterprise data is less to drive decisionmaking, and more to justify decisions that the executives were going to make anyway, which will usually just be whatever has the greatest benefit to their own careers. In the public world, though, it seems to me like big data has had pretty huge results. The most commonly cited example probably being Nate Silver predicting…

The dilbert strip in the article was hilarious http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2012-07-29/ Is there some kind of gene which predisposes people to throwing around buzzwords? How is it that human behaviour gave rise to "big data" and "the cloud"?

The "gene" you speak of is a desperation to prove relevance when a person has a sneaking suspicion in their heart that they don't add value.

Ever notice how the people who throw around the most buzz words are those who think of, and refer to themselves as "big picture" thinkers? They have conveniently tricked themselves into thinking that focusing on and mastering any true skill is a distraction from understanding the broader landscape in which they operate.

Re: Big Data Is Booming but Big Results Are Lacking

Re: Big Data Is Booming but Big Results Are Lacking