As time has gone on, data has been the defining backbone for all of society. Everything has a perceived data value. Think about a couple of random questions one could ask for a second: How much do you walk on a typical Monday? How many people purchased batteries last week? Everything can be answered and represented by data. How do data and databases fit into the future perspective? After all, databases have been around for quite a while, especially when thinking about government tax collection and census creation. The difference now and for the future, though, is that “data about our habits and movements flow in a continuous stream” [1] and there is no break. There are no more gaps in any data collection practices. Databases can be quite literally filled with data at every second of every day as people worldwide are plugged into their devices. Personally, I see no problem with databases having knowledge of my spending habits, travel habits, or any other “personal” data. For the future, though, the ethical question of “do people want companies with which they are not affiliated to have databases full of stored data about them,” will be a huge debate.
A discussion of “big data” and databases transitions quite nicely into a discussion about the future in a sociological perspective. As was mentioned before, data has shaped society and will continue to do so in the future. Will human society continue to be “on board” with this idea, or will people call for redevelopment, restructure, and a change in functionality? It seems as though we’ve made a decision already. Think about society for a second- is there really anyone left that does not have a personal computer or smart device? By having such items, we’ve signed away any personal data to the makers of the sites we visit, the devices we use, and any future companies that desire our data. Society has been shaped by technology, and it is something we must accept. In fact, “more than 40 years ago, Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft with a vision for putting a personal computer on every desk” [3]. While obviously not everyone has a Microsoft product, the idea that everyone will have somesort of technological product has come to fruition. Everyone is “plugged in” to society’s technology-based future. Additionally, “no one is really doing much to stop it” [3] because we believe that there might not be an issue with it. There are so many benefits to technology and data-led society that there is no need to try to fight it.
Finally, now that data and databases have been discussed in relation to sociology, the future with respect to networking can be brought up. It is quite obvious that there is a network that connects us all- the internet. Unless one physically turns off all of one’s devices and relocates to the middle of the woods somewhere remote, it is nearly impossible to go about the day without being connected to the internet. The future is sure to continue to rely on the internet, as people consume news, weather reports, and other relevant data on this international network. While the internet is quite young relatively speaking, there is no doubt that online “networking is the new norm” [2]. Coming into contact with other people in a virtual way will be the way of the future. Even now, we see that most job applications happen online. There is no more “walk into the company’s office and hand in your résumé,” as this has been replaced with online practices. The digital network is the way of the future.
References:
[1] Bogle, Ariel. Big data is Going to Shape Our Future Cities. Will it Treat Us All Equally?ABC Science. January 2019.
[2] Henry-Stocker, Sandra. The Future of Networking: Open Source Networking is the ‘New Norm’. 5 October 2018.
[3] Manjoo, Farhad. A Future Where Everything Becomes a Computer Is as Creepy as You FearedState of the Art. 10 October 2018.
[3] Manjoo, Farhad. A Future Where Everything Becomes a Computer Is as Creepy as You FearedState of the Art. 10 October 2018.
Comments on Other Posts:
Albert Hanan, your first paragraph was extremely intriguing. It is humorous that people quite often claim to not be interested in the buzzwords that you outlined, yet ironically every aspect of their lives incorporate those ideas. I have found myself rolling my eyes at articles that talk about AI being “huge” thinking that I would just be reading about more irrelevant “wordage” yet AI is in every part of my technology-based lifestyle. It’s interesting that you mention the data leaks from Facebook and the general sense of discomfort and fear that most people felt during that period. I mentioned in my own blog post that the idea of companies having data about me has never really bothered me that much. If I get targeted ads or recommendations from one website because another service gave them my data, I feel like that’s not too big of an issue personally. It has only ever improved my experience online. Sure, there can be drawbacks, especially if reallyprivate information such as credit card information were to be exposed. Your post gives me a really different sense of just how hugeof an impact data sharing has on day-to-day life. I was not aware of Facebook Pixel’s existence and the concept of it is quite impressive. Data sharing and AI is so deeply woven into everyone’s lives today and will continue to be there in the future.
Gabriel Grajewski, I found the third part of your post to be quite interesting. It is true that job loss is occurring on such a large scale due to automation. The point you make that society will not take the steps to lessen the negative impact that comes with automation connects quite nicely with a point I made in my post. AI, automation, technology, and all other new developments have come into our lives, and we’ve accepted them with open arms. As we’ve slowly realized that some things cause problems, we’ve been quick to shrug them off as the technology is so deeply woven into our society. We recognize the issues but we’ve done nothing to remedy them.
Christian Tait, I share your interest and fascination with 3D printing! To think that something can be printed in 3D space from a virtual model is still an awesome feat in technological development. It is incredible to me that items can be printed in materials as complex as glass and metal. This begs the question: how far can we take 3D-printing? Additionally, as a mechanical engineering student, the concept of BIM is new to me. I was not aware of its existence yet at the same time it makes complete sense. The ability to go straight from design to manufacturing is fantastic and I’m excited to learn more about it.
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ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your appointment. The problem is very serious. The database is not only sharing the information, which been put into the database on your own initiative, but also passively. For example, nowadays, everybody talks to their smartphones for doing a favor, and we think they are helpful. However, did you ever think about that the devices are "monitoring" us by that function as well? One time, my friend told me about "23andme" which is a genetic resolution test and I had never heard about that and never searched anything related to the "23andme" using my smartphone before. But few hours later, there was an ad of "23andme" showing on my device, and me and my friends were freaked out that time. If the personal privacy is not "personal" any more, then who will care about the "person" as an individual in the future? Undeniable, the "big data" makes the convenient life, and humans will get more benefits from it in the future. However, the sociology will become one of the largest roadblocks for the development of the database.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, what is your name?
ReplyDeleteIt is not showing.
Very interesting blog post! One of the things that really comes into my mind is; what it will do to us, as human beings, if the internet is our only network. Will we then be lonely or is the network on the internet enough for us to satisfy our social needs.
ReplyDeleteOne of the other things that got me thinking, was the last part about that we don't need to hand in a job application ourselves but it will be send online. Will we then be jugde only by how we are writting and our behavior on the internet? We know how much a first impression can mean for us. So how will we look at eachother if the first impression comes from the internet or a database. Will we then be able to how people really are? I think that is also very interesting to think about in relation to sociology, databases and networking in the future.