“Data is the new oil.” Yes. But like oil, the monopoly over the resources to use such big loads of crude data, derive meaning out of it and further sell it, lies in the hands of a very few in this digital era.
Apart from the definitions and ideas of the experts like Kitchin, Andrejevic in the big data field, the term can be explained as large datasets with increased volume, velocity and variety. And this is exactly what makes it different from the traditional forms of data like census which is restricted by sampling techniques while big data being continuous in nature has further scopes of modification. Like oil, with advanced computing technologies, ‘data explosion’ after the advent of the internet and innovations in the field of data analytics, data became an essential raw material for business, revolutionizing the traditional usage of data beginning with conquering the silicon valley, and now major democracies.
Thus, continuous generation of data at a record rate need not depend on theories or set models of research which comes with validity, but it opens a gateway to infer deeper meanings. This unparalleled power of big data when goes beyond quantitative forms of data and enters qualitative and social forms of data or an amalgamation of both can further result in, either enhancement of human life or diminishing the very elements (privacy and “behavioural modification”) of it as quoted by Poulin in Big Data Custodianship in a Global Society.
Historical Reflections of Data Collection and Bifurcation of Society
One of the earliest forms of recorded data collection was census which provided ruling institutions with basic quantified data of people. Census data has helped institutions in power to adjust their power mechanisms, thus making statistics a central part of the governance of the state and the society.
Quantification of lives beginning from a census to an online survey or feedback form of
your nearest supermarket has resulted in the bifurcation of the society into heterogeneous
groups which are then compared with each other.
In India, census came with British colonial rulers. After all, how could they have better understood the scattered, multi-lingual, unclassified society of non-English speakers? In his article in EPW, researcher Samarendra connects the official birth of caste in Indian society to the British conducted census in India. He illustrates the need of the British rulers to conduct a unique survey, “counting the population and classifying it under different heads [or categories]- age, sex, religion, caste, occupation”, for a better understanding of their colony. This bifurcation of the population in the first census of India has not only been re-embedded in the independent India’s census, but also in its constitution, signifying the importance of data collection.
Big Data and Manipulating Public
Although not dystopian, the big data world has been questioned due to its extreme dependence on algorithms and computing technologies to analyse human life and its functionality which may vary from the analysis of social scientists.
Although not a democracy, China perfectly illustrates the concerns of using big data for governance. An article in The Guardian explains China’s usage of a “deep-learning algorithm” to assign each Chinese national with a “citizen score”, tracing their online activities. This score decides the individual’s scopes of job qualification; travel etc by algorithmic prediction of his/her loyalty and compliance. The author further warns of development of such big data analytical tools by governments to take full control of the state and alter behaviours and responses of the people without their knowledge.
In another example, America’s predictive policing case study also clarifies the abuse of data power by established democracies which also boast of being the pioneer in big data analytics. Author Perry defines predictive policing as statistical predictions made to implement intervention of police in certain matters or the targeting people with previous crime records and preventing crimes with the application of big data analytics.
The over-usage of such analytics also leads to misunderstanding of predictions due to the poor quality of data. Not only this, consideration of big data predictions as evidence is also a fallacy. Perry places the crime reduction and prevention intends of the big data analytics while challenging it with violation of civil and privacy rights.
Big Data and New Digital Divisions
Since the launch of internet space, new forms of divisions have been formed. This divide is categorised into global, social and democratic. Like the distribution of any resources, internet’s equal distribution became a matter of concern with certain sections of the society having access to it, while some completely unaware of it. Same is with Big Data’s distribution.
With unidentified and modern forms of data collection and data mining by big
data conglomerates and democracies in partnership, individuals are no
more in a capacity to object the usage of their data.
A new form of governance has been thrown opened to the democratic systems across the world with limitless potential of data analytics is being used for better decision making. But, the “Big Data Divide” between those who own and use these data and those, whose data are being collected, also leads to power disparity in the digital era, thus weakening the democracy.
If the question is about the good and the bad in the Big Data usage, the answer lies in the conflicting intents and interests of the people, institutions and business companies involved in its management and organisation. The existence of inequalities in the existing technological, social and behavioural settings of our society are repeated or imitated in our digital world too. The idea behind big data being instrumental in the formation of a Utopian society, free of inequalities and socio-cultural problems of race, religion or poverty is a far reach.
