Big Data, Big Corporations, Big Problem

Have you ever thought about how we, as a social network based generation, over share? Phillip Atiba Goff is an assistant professor of psychology at UCLA and president of the Center for Policing Equity, and he thinks so. He recently wrote an article for CNN about Big (yes, capitol B) data, and how it not only helps corporations achieve massive profits, but it could help provide social justice as well. That means, we could use all of the data collected from our social media outlets, and actually use it for a purpose. In the sense that it could make certain aspects of online life fairer.

For example, if all police wore helmet cameras, it could prevent a large portion of police brutality, and harassment.  Citizen's would finally have an equal say, with video proof to back it up. He says, "big data can make the world a fairer place. But there is less immediate financial gain to be made from it, and some of the science is still in progress" (Goff, CNN).

Of course, since America runs off of capitalism and financial wealth, therefore the importance of economic progress comes far before social progress. When we discovered the profitability of human trafficking, we exploited the civil liberties of African's for a financial gain. Nowadays, major corporations like Facebook, Target, and Google all have one common goal, to publicize the information you give them for a financial profit.

When you create virtually any online account, you are required to give your name, e-mail address, and often home address. How frightening is that? You are telling a computer (and subsequently a stranger) where you live, what your name is, and how to contact you. Does that scare any one else? Surely all of this mass public data will bite us in the butt one day. Will it? Please leave your constructive comments and questions below.