Susan Etlinger: What do we do with all this big data?
TLDRThe transcript discusses the impact of technology and data on society, referencing Neil Postman's book "Amusing Ourselves to Death" and contrasting Orwell's and Huxley's dystopian visions. It highlights the importance of critical thinking in interpreting data, using examples from the Health Media Collaboratory's work with the CDC on smoking cessation. The speaker shares a personal story about her son with autism, emphasizing the need to look beyond metrics and embrace the complexity of human communication and behavior. The message is a call to action for responsible data interpretation and the application of critical thinking skills in a data-driven world.
Takeaways
- 🌐 Technology has significantly advanced, leading to remarkable achievements like the moon landing and the Internet, but it also amplifies our deepest fears.
- 📚 Neil Postman's book 'Amusing Ourselves to Death' contrasts the dystopian views of Orwell, who feared a captive culture, and Huxley, who feared a trivial culture.
- 🤔 We are not merely passive consumers of technology; we have the power to shape its role in our lives and how we interpret its data.
- 🔍 To truly understand data, we must focus on both the quality of our thinking and the quality of our coding.
- 🌟 The Health Media Collaboratory at the University of Illinois-Chicago is an example of data science addressing real-world problems, like understanding public discourse on smoking cessation.
- 💬 Language is complex and ever-changing, requiring context for proper interpretation, as seen in the varied meanings of 'smoking' on Twitter.
- 📉 The effectiveness of data is not solely determined by its quantity but also by its speed, variety, and the context in which it is used.
- 🚫 Misinterpretation of data is not a new issue; humans have a history of mishandling data, regardless of its size.
- 🧠 Critical thinking skills are crucial in our data-driven world, as they help us avoid making hasty and potentially harmful decisions.
- 🎓 The humanities and social sciences provide essential context for understanding big data and enhancing our critical thinking abilities.
- 🔑 When analyzing data, it's important to be transparent about hypotheses, methodologies, and the level of confidence in the results.
Q & A
What is the main argument Neil Postman makes in his book 'Amusing Ourselves to Death'?
-Neil Postman argues that technology and media have the potential to lead us towards a dystopian future, either by becoming a captive culture under surveillance (Orwell's vision) or a trivial culture drowned in irrelevance (Huxley's vision).
How does the speaker emphasize the importance of critical thinking in the context of big data?
-The speaker emphasizes that critical thinking is crucial because it allows us to move beyond merely counting data to truly understanding it. It helps us ask hard questions, avoid biases, and interpret data correctly, ultimately making better decisions.
What are the four main categories of 'smoking' mentioned in the context of Twitter discussions?
-The four main categories are: smoking cigarettes, smoking marijuana, smoking ribs, and smoking hot women.
How does the Health Media Collaboratory contribute to public health initiatives?
-The Health Media Collaboratory works with the Centers for Disease Control to understand how people talk about quitting smoking and electronic cigarettes, aiming to find ways to help them quit more effectively.
What was the impact of the CDC's graphic anti-smoking advertisements featuring a woman with a hole in her throat?
-The advertisements jolted people into a thought process that may have influenced their future behavior regarding smoking, although they did not directly conclude that people quit smoking as a result.
What personal story does the speaker share to illustrate the limitations of data and metrics?
-The speaker shares the story of her son Isaac, who was diagnosed with autism at a young age. Despite the metrics suggesting he had the developmental level of a nine-month-old baby, he taught himself to communicate through Google searches, showing that data can be misleading and that human creativity and problem-solving can be overlooked.
Why does the speaker argue that we should focus more on the humanities and social sciences?
-The speaker argues that these disciplines provide essential context for understanding big data. They help us develop critical thinking skills, identify biases, and make better sense of the world, which is crucial for interpreting and utilizing data effectively.
What is the significance of the term 'refrigerator mother' in the context of autism research?
-The term 'refrigerator mother' was the original hypothesis for the cause of autism, suggesting that a cold and unloving mother could cause the condition. This highlights the historical misuse of data and the importance of careful, critical analysis in scientific research.
How does the speaker suggest we approach data analysis and interpretation?
-The speaker suggests that we should be transparent about our hypotheses, methodologies, and confidence in our results. We should also question our assumptions, treat data with appropriate privacy controls, and ensure consumer opt-in.
What is the key message the speaker conveys about the power of data?
-The key message is that data alone does not create meaning; we do. To unlock the power of data, we must respect critical thinking, learn to interpret data correctly, and use our abilities to make meaningful and positive impacts.
Outlines
🌐 The Impact and Interpretation of Technology and Data
This paragraph discusses the profound impact of technology on society, highlighting achievements like the moon landing and the Internet, while also acknowledging the fears it instills. It references Neil Postman's book, 'Amusing Ourselves to Death,' which contrasts the dystopian views of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. The speaker emphasizes that we are not merely consumers of technology and data; we have the power to shape their roles in our lives. The importance of understanding data in context, beyond mere numbers, is stressed, using the example of a research project by the Health Media Collaboratory at the University of Illinois-Chicago. The project's aim is to understand how people discuss quitting smoking and electronic cigarettes, demonstrating the complexity of interpreting data and the need for context in understanding human behavior.
👦 The Personal Relevance of Data Interpretation
The speaker shares a personal story about her son Isaac, who was diagnosed with autism at a young age. Despite the limitations highlighted by his developmental evaluations, Isaac demonstrated his intelligence and resourcefulness by teaching himself to use Google searches to communicate. This experience underscores the danger of overvaluing certain metrics and undervaluing others, such as creative problem-solving. The speaker argues for a balanced approach to data interpretation, cautioning against the misuse of facts and emphasizing the importance of critical thinking skills in a data-rich world.
🔍 Critical Thinking in the Age of Big Data
The final paragraph calls for a critical approach to data interpretation, emphasizing the need to question assumptions and methodologies. The speaker discusses the limitations of demographic data and the importance of privacy and consumer choice. She advocates for transparency in data analysis, urging analysts to 'show their math' and question the validity of their conclusions. The Health Media Collaboratory's project on anti-smoking ads is cited as an example of responsible data use, where the team did not overstate their findings but instead respected the limits of their data. The speaker concludes by urging the audience to harness the power of data responsibly, for the greater good.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Technology
💡Amusing Ourselves to Death
💡Big Data
💡Health Media Collaboratory
💡Critical Thinking
💡Context
💡Interpretation
💡Autism
💡Misuse of Data
💡Humanities and Social Sciences
💡Confirmation Bias
Highlights
Technology has brought us significant advancements like the moon landing, the Internet, and the sequencing of the human genome.
Neil Postman's book 'Amusing Ourselves to Death' explores the cultural impact of technology and its role in shaping our fears and societal norms.
Postman compares the dystopian visions of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley, highlighting the fears of a captive versus a trivial culture.
The key difference between Orwell's and Huxley's fears is the control of information—Orwell feared it would be concealed, while Huxley feared we would be overwhelmed by irrelevance.
We are not merely passive consumers of data; we have the power to shape technology's role in our lives and the meanings we derive from it.
To effectively use technology, we must pay attention to both how we think and how we code.
Big data challenges include not only its size but also its speed and the variety of data types.
The Health Media Collaboratory at the University of Illinois-Chicago works with the CDC to understand public discourse on health topics like smoking and electronic cigarettes.
Understanding context is crucial when analyzing data, as language is complex and varies greatly among individuals.
The CDC's graphic anti-smoking ads were found to jolt people into a thought process, potentially impacting future behavior.
The story of Isaac, a child with autism, illustrates the importance of looking beyond traditional metrics and recognizing non-verbal forms of communication.
Isaac's self-taught use of Google searches to communicate demonstrates the need to consider creative problem-solving beyond standardized assessments.
Facts can be stubborn and sometimes misleading, emphasizing the need for critical thinking in data interpretation.
The importance of critical thinking is underscored by the potential for quick, impactful decisions based on vast amounts of data.
Disciplines like humanities, sociology, and ethics are crucial for providing context and fostering better critical thinking in the age of big data.
The responsibility lies with individuals to focus on critical thinking skills to avoid the misuse of data.
The Health Media Collaboratory's project on anti-smoking ads exemplifies the careful and respectful use of data in understanding societal impact.
The project found that 87% of tweets about the anti-smoking ads expressed fear, but did not conclude that the ads made people quit smoking, demonstrating the importance of scientific rigor.
To harness the power of data, we must respect critical thinking and use our analytical powers for good, avoiding the pitfalls of Orwellian or Huxleyan dystopias.
Transcripts
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