Ratings33
Average rating3.7
An irreverent, provocative, and visually fascinating look at what our online lives reveal about who we really are--and how this deluge of data will transform the science of human behavior. Big Data is used to spy on us, hire and fire us, and sell us things we don't need. In Dataclysm, Christian Rudder puts this flood of information to an entirely different use: understanding human nature. Drawing on terabytes of data from Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, OkCupid, and many other sites, Rudder examines the terrain of human experience. He charts the rise and fall of America's most reviled word through Google Search, examines the new dynamics of collaborative rage on Twitter, and traces human migration over time, showing how groups of people move from certain small towns to the same big cities across the globe. And he grapples with the challenge of maintaining privacy in a world where these explorations are possible. Audacious, entertaining, and illuminating, Dataclysm is a portrait of our essential selves--and a first look at a revolution in the making. --
Reviews with the most likes.
Wow - the insight in this book is fascinating if not altogether surprising. If you are interested in social science in America, this story is for you. Simple graphs, clear findings, and a whole lot of explanation of possible whys show up in the pages. The book was published in 2014. I'd absolutely love to see an update to the data, given how fast the world seems to move these days.
Caution to nerds (I'm one). It is a popular science book, so don't go getting your data huffies on if there are no detailed statistics. There are extensive notes in the back, even if the presentation is readable to regular folk.
This was a fun nonfiction read! It's from the former data chief at OKCupid and is all about interesting trends that can be gathered from the data internet users put out there, particularly the one he used to work on. It's entertaining but also honestly pretty light/forgettable.
Fascinating insights into the world of real world data
The author by no ,Evans limits himself to data sets from OKCupid. Rather he draws from a rich pool with sources from Google, Facebook etc. Well worth reading.