(CNN) -- What's the first thing that goes through your mind when someone says the word "data"?
For many of us, the first image is line graphs, pie charts and spreadsheets with columns and rows full of numbers that leave you bleary-eyed and a bit dazed...
...writes Manav Tannerru of CNN.com. Her article “A New Way of Looking at the World” describes what author Bruce Mau calls a “social revolution”. This social revolution is the phenomenon of the ever expanding virtual universe, which is making it easier than ever to track data.
Data is a tool that is not only useful for businesses to gather information on their consumers, but is also helpful for consumers to make purchasing decisions. The reason for the expanding pool of data and information is the accessibility of computers and software to the general public. Over the past two decades computers have become increasingly cheaper. The huge number of users that populate the world wide web create a resource of data that is practically infinite. Every day users post information about themselves, buy, and rate products on the internet. Furthermore, the advancements and innovations in the cellular phone technology have caused a mobile bridge connecting people to the internet and its resources at all times.
Resources like the “Yelp’s Monocle” app are available on iphones that allow users to see ratings and reviews of restaurants and other businesses. The purpose of the app is for when the user is out and is looking for a place to eat or shop restaurant. If the phone is pointed towards a certain street the app will list all the restaurants and businesses at that location as well as their reviews and ratings.
Another product of data is Adrian Holovaty’s Everyblock.com, which provides torrent information from databases, media, and social media websites. The program informs the user of what is going on in their neighborhood both socially and news related.
I think that the population of the internet is growing on an extraordinary level. It is a resource that is used across the entire world and is a common ground to everyone. It is completely unique in this way. Ten years ago it was common to have one computer per house hold, now it is common for each household to have one computer per person. The amount of data posted on the internet everyday is inconceivable to me. I think it is a great resource for both consumers and businesses. Even when businesses are taking consumer’s information I still think it is beneficial for everyone because that way they will be able to target and meet their customer’s specific needs and advertise to the right audience. On the other hand I think that it is important that everyone has a certain amount of privacy. There is so much personal information being released about people, but companies and the general public alike should be able to have certain information be secure. Since the internet is so vast it seems hard if not impossible for all data to be regulated. It is a growing concern for many users where as it is over looked by many others.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/11/02/data.viz/index.html
Data definitely is taking on a new connotation in the business world, through marketers and researchers using it to produce information on their potential customers. By using the Internet, technologies, wireless tools and constant connections, businesses can develop new innovative ways to reach their markets and sell products efficiently. According to this article, advancements in data can also help social media like Everyblock.com, where information from media and networking sites is used to raise awareness of events. Although the Internet is gaining so much power so quickly, I think it's important for people to keep some of their information secure and off the constant connections of the Internet. There are so many possibilities out there for fraud and unethical business behavior that consumers should try to limit the amount of information they share. Overall, the internet and technology have grown significantly and are continuing to help businesses gain power efficiently over time.
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