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662 reviews for:
Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us about Who We Really Are
Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
3.82 AVERAGE
662 reviews for:
Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us about Who We Really Are
Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
3.82 AVERAGE
This is an engaging book about how big data can be used to improve our understanding of human behavior, thinking, emotions, and preference. The basic idea is that if you ask people about their behavior or their preferences in surveys, even anonymous surveys, they will often lie. People do not like to admit to low-brow preferences; racists do not want to admit to their prejudices, most people who watch pornography do not want to admit to it, and even voting is often misrepresented; some people who voted for Trump would not admit to it.
But, by analyzing immense datasets from Google, public archives, social media, and the like, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz has been able to unearth a lot of fascinating answers to puzzling questions. For example, he is able to predict, through Google searches for various symptoms, who is likely to have early stages of pancreatic cancer. He can predict epidemic breakouts of some contagious diseases well before they are announced by the CDC (Center for Disease Control). He shows that the single factor that correlates with voting for Trump is that of racism.
Then there are the fun factoids, about the sorts of things that people search for most often on Google. Most commonly, the search "Is my son ..." is followed by "gifted", while the search "Is my daughter ..." is followed by "overweight". That tells us something about stereotypes for the way people think about their children. Interestingly, the release of a new violent movie in a city is correlated with a decrease in violent crime in that city. Perhaps the reason is that violent people who are watching the movie are not out on the streets, committing crimes.
And here we get to the main problem with this sort of analysis. Undoubtedly, the research and analysis of big datasets is done correctly. However, once a surprising result is found, understanding the motivations behind the online activity are often subjective and open to interpretation. While this book is very careful about its underlying assumptions, it is a slippery road to getting the correct interpretations and explanations.
This is an easy, well-paced book that should appeal to anybody who enjoys books like [b:Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything|1202|Freakonomics A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (Freakonomics, #1)|Steven D. Levitt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327909092s/1202.jpg|5397].
But, by analyzing immense datasets from Google, public archives, social media, and the like, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz has been able to unearth a lot of fascinating answers to puzzling questions. For example, he is able to predict, through Google searches for various symptoms, who is likely to have early stages of pancreatic cancer. He can predict epidemic breakouts of some contagious diseases well before they are announced by the CDC (Center for Disease Control). He shows that the single factor that correlates with voting for Trump is that of racism.
Then there are the fun factoids, about the sorts of things that people search for most often on Google. Most commonly, the search "Is my son ..." is followed by "gifted", while the search "Is my daughter ..." is followed by "overweight". That tells us something about stereotypes for the way people think about their children. Interestingly, the release of a new violent movie in a city is correlated with a decrease in violent crime in that city. Perhaps the reason is that violent people who are watching the movie are not out on the streets, committing crimes.
And here we get to the main problem with this sort of analysis. Undoubtedly, the research and analysis of big datasets is done correctly. However, once a surprising result is found, understanding the motivations behind the online activity are often subjective and open to interpretation. While this book is very careful about its underlying assumptions, it is a slippery road to getting the correct interpretations and explanations.
This is an easy, well-paced book that should appeal to anybody who enjoys books like [b:Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything|1202|Freakonomics A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (Freakonomics, #1)|Steven D. Levitt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327909092s/1202.jpg|5397].
Fascinating insights from the analysis of the big data available on internet. Some of the insights are common wisdom whereas others are novel. Some can be used to transform the world into a better place and others are just there to prove that the world is full of weirdos and you are not the only one.
Also the fact that Indians keep searching for breastfeeding videos was very unnerving and I guess that is the point of this book.
Also the fact that Indians keep searching for breastfeeding videos was very unnerving and I guess that is the point of this book.
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
“We can use the data to fight the darkness.”
Fascinating stuff! We're definitely in a new era of social science, and Seth Stephens-Davidowitz gives us a really humorous and yet down-to-earth look at what big data really is, and why it is so important when it comes to telling us the truth about our society. I really appreciated how he laid out so many excellent examples with simple explanations, and didn't shy away from the hard ethical questions that come with using the gathered information.
Learned a lot in an enjoyable way!
Fascinating stuff! We're definitely in a new era of social science, and Seth Stephens-Davidowitz gives us a really humorous and yet down-to-earth look at what big data really is, and why it is so important when it comes to telling us the truth about our society. I really appreciated how he laid out so many excellent examples with simple explanations, and didn't shy away from the hard ethical questions that come with using the gathered information.
Learned a lot in an enjoyable way!
구체적인 사례를 통해 한동안 유행어처럼 회자되던 빅 데이터에 대해 알게 되었다. 익명성이 보장된 은밀한 가상공간에서 드러나는 인간의 솔직한 모습을 보는 것도 빅 데이터를 통해 할 수 있는 일 중 하나다. 2016년 미국 대선에서 공식적인 모든 여론 조사가 놓치고 만 백인우월주의자들의 은밀한 본심이 구글 검색의 빅 데이터에는 그대로 드러났다는 부분을 읽으며 그 악몽이 2020년에 다시 재현되지는 않을지 염려된다.
was abt to gv this book 4 of 5 bcs too much baseball cases (in which im not a fan) but the conclusion part is just so hillarious and so i give the last star for this part only.
for those who are into big data, this book is worth your time as it gives you perspective on how it works! fun book!
for those who are into big data, this book is worth your time as it gives you perspective on how it works! fun book!
Big data might tell you a lot of things but this book doesn't manage to convey it very well. I'm not really sure who it's for, it's not really an academic paper but it's not that easy to read either, just dry findings of people saying one thing and actually thinking another, respectively correlations and connotations. Like other books in the category, the title sums up the book quite well.
Read this. Oh wow, seriously read this. Read it all the way to the end like I did (a joke you will understand if you do read it all the way to the end like I did).
When this book is described as the new Freakonomics, it isn't wrong. I laughed (out loud on the train even!), I gasped, I 'wow!'ed and I already want to read the tentatively hinted at sequel.
With insights into the human condition that have never been examined before, Everybody Lies may make you sad in parts; but will definitely and in much greater measure make you feel so relieved that other people are indeed thinking; and Googling, the same things as you. It will also reveal that people are thinking, and Googling, some other really next level weird shit.
This is some of the best money I've ever spent, it's educational, provocative, philosophical and entertaining and I couldn't possibly have loved it any more than I did. Read this. Oh wow, seriously read this.
When this book is described as the new Freakonomics, it isn't wrong. I laughed (out loud on the train even!), I gasped, I 'wow!'ed and I already want to read the tentatively hinted at sequel.
With insights into the human condition that have never been examined before, Everybody Lies may make you sad in parts; but will definitely and in much greater measure make you feel so relieved that other people are indeed thinking; and Googling, the same things as you. It will also reveal that people are thinking, and Googling, some other really next level weird shit.
This is some of the best money I've ever spent, it's educational, provocative, philosophical and entertaining and I couldn't possibly have loved it any more than I did. Read this. Oh wow, seriously read this.
This was interesting but also tough to read in a way I wasn't prepared for (lots of statistics on people Googling racist jokes, porn (all kinds), cases of child abuse and abortion and suicide, etc....)
meh...He says some things I did not find convincing, but it's an interesting read.