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663 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
663 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 was a pleasurable, easy-to-read introduction to the world of data science and Big Data. Stephens has conducted and compiled numerous interesting studies on a wide variety of topics and presented them with a clear and light-hearted style. As an economics minor, this book got me excited about the research being done in the field and the potential of data science.
If you read this book though, understand that it is really just a book about data science. While the conclusions Stephens has drawn from data are powerful and relevant, he does not seriously aim to do anything with them other than state the direction of relationships between certain variables ("If there is a violent movie on Saturday, violent crimes will decrease", "If a person uses "God" in a loan application, they are less likely to be successful", etc.)
That said, it's a good read for anyone interested in social science or research methods.
If you read this book though, understand that it is really just a book about data science. While the conclusions Stephens has drawn from data are powerful and relevant, he does not seriously aim to do anything with them other than state the direction of relationships between certain variables ("If there is a violent movie on Saturday, violent crimes will decrease", "If a person uses "God" in a loan application, they are less likely to be successful", etc.)
That said, it's a good read for anyone interested in social science or research methods.
Very enlightening. I was quite shocked by some of the statistics in this book and what it means about the people who are living in this world. A good, yet somewhat scary, read.
Interesting though (from my perspective) too trusting that what we Google is what we truly are. I'll certainly grant Stephens-Davidowitz that people aren't entirely candid or accurate in survey form (see: 2016 U.S. Presidential Election), but I'm not convinced that it follows that Google search results are *the* solution to getting the correct picture of things.
Also, I found much of the sections on porn and sexuality to be skippable due to explicitness and/or tangentiality to the book's main point.
Also, I found much of the sections on porn and sexuality to be skippable due to explicitness and/or tangentiality to the book's main point.
This is probably one of my favorite books of all-time. As someone that's interested in human psychology and big data, I found this book incredibly insightful.
This is a nice book about finding the truth with big data, which is falsifying our previously held beliefs.
I had read about many examples in this book in news articles in past few years, and it makes me regret about not writing a book on it myself. :)
I had read about many examples in this book in news articles in past few years, and it makes me regret about not writing a book on it myself. :)
In Everybody Lies, the author explores how big data (such as google searches) can tell us things about our society and culture. He uses examples, such as a comparison of the increase in racist search terms after both Obama's and Trump's elections, to demonstrate how this data can be used to give us a more accurate picture of ourselves. I think he does a very good job of demonstrating the potential of this information. Not being a data scientist, I am not sure how accurate his conclusions from the data are (there were some deductions that seemed a bit questionable to me), but I am convinced that he was successful in showing that there is a ton of information out there that can be used for good (rather than negative things I normally think of big data being used for). The author presented his information in a humorous and easy to understand way. I found it all very interesting.
A thought provoking read, though some chapters and ideas are more essential than others. There's a little too much fluff, but great information and supremely readable nonetheless. A great lens through which to view the world. I use Google Trends and Analytics all the time now to gauge public consciousness.
Fascinating book about how we can use data from google and other sources considered anonymous to find out more about human’s secret desires, beliefs and lifestyles. Things we won’t tell other people or maybe even admit to ourselves. Starts off by explaining how google trends data from 2008 immediately after Obama was elected, can explain the election of Donald trump eight years later. Lots of other tidbits in there. While I loved it, the author uses some profanity in this book and talks about subjects such as porn. It might not be for everyone but I thought it was an interesting book!
Big Data is like the coolest field and I am happy to ride the wave of popularity on this one
informative
fast-paced