The Data Dilemma

We’re creating more data than the human mind could begin to process, let alone analyze.

I don’t think there’s any way to get around it.

 The ability of our human brains to assimilate, understand, corral, or even deal with the volume of information is at a point where it’s functionally impossible. You can look at both sides of this equation. The amount of data coming “at us” is ever increasing, yet our cognitive ability is largely fixed. Something has to give.

 But I’m getting ahead of myself…

 It starts with that four-letter word: data. Data bombards our lives in ways that are both overt and hidden:

Volume. It’s a lot. An interesting and often-quoted story from 2013 stated that 90 percent of all the world’s data has been created in the past two years. And I would imagine that it must be an even greater percentage by now. The volume of data, even by today’s standards, is almost inconceivable, yet it continues to grow. Diagnostic imaging is an example where the data set is exploding, bringing amazing and important advances in care.

Variety. From MRIs to the Internet of Things to your smartphone, data generators are everywhere. The advances in technology just add to the variety of sources. In today’s world, almost everything, including yourself, is a data generator.

Veracity. Today, data quality is central to advances in informatics and the pursuit of a functional application. It is all about “less garbage in” and the subsequent enhancement of overall utility, particularly in analytics.

But data is just part of the story. Or should I say, the beginning of the story. Data is the noise, the chatter, the first step in the systemic conversion to information, knowledge, utility, and even wisdom. Now let’s take a look at platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Roblox, Netflix, Amazon, and Google. These platforms don’t just offer up data in the forms of pictures, links, likes and alerts; they algorithmically inject optimized data streams directly into our consciousness. It’s no longer a fire hose that spews data, but a lubricated beam of electrons that are mediated by our own powerful neurotransmitters.

Simply put, the real transition from data to wisdom has historically been the domain of the human brain. Technology has provided the “calculator” to help with number crunching, but the human component has long been the essential and magical driver of the “a ha” moment. And in many instances, this remains the case. 

But we need to go back to the data chart and take a closer look. The exponential expansion of data is very different than the transformation of this data to information and knowledge. There’s a gap. And it’s this data gap that holds our transformation back. We need to leverage technology, both in the cloud and on the edge, as a “partner in cognition” to help analyze data, structure information, and facilitate knowledge. Otherwise, we are lost in the sea of digital noise. 

To develop an informed perspective in today’s world, we must tame the beast of technology by recognizing its essential role, and developing a win-win strategy where technology sits comfortably with us at the table of wisdom.

This post was sponsored by AT&T Business, but the opinions are my own and don’t necessarily represent AT&T Business’s positions or strategies.

Graphic adapted from IPQ Analytics with permission.