There has been so much buzz about Big Data that even the word “buzz” seems overused. I actually don’t consider it as hype since it is inevitably going to touch & improve many aspects of our daily lives. Thinking of the complete impact of Big Data, a picture of a Hollywood drama flick set in 2050 takes some portion of my mind.

For the uninitiated, Big Data takes the massive digitization of the world’s data which includes Social Media Posts/Emails/Ebooks/Shopping Data/Google Search data and then, puts that data in modern analytic systems which are capable of sorting huge amount of varied data sets to deliver super customized results. There has always been tons of data available but the capability to analyse it meaningfully is making all the difference today.

For Example – Targeted advertising will be way beyond the present system of showing you ads based on your search history captured through browser cookies. What if they also know about everything else you do in your daily life and be able to analyse it for real personalized offerings. Such data for businesses seems more exciting than a KFC visit for stray dogs.

But what if I don’t want them to know everything about me, my location, my personal preferences, nothing?

The only option I seem to have today is move to Himalayas or may be, a mountain of my choice and completely disconnect from the digital world, which really isn’t an option. That’s like your boss saying – Do you want to work on Sundays or relax at home, your choice? Not really my choice anymore, is it!

Its scary as it is inevitable since most of us will continue to use Apps, Share Posts, Write emails (Hell yeah!) and businesses will continue to beautifully analyse from all available mediums.

Sure, its going to make a lot of aspects of my life improve like beating traffic woes or getting meaningful travel deals or health alerts before its too late but the question remains – What if they turn Evil tom or what if I intend to do something that the Govt does not want me do? Given the present situation, it seems highly likely that such a crux may occur.

You will probably have no where to go then, not even the Himalayas since they will be able to predict your behavior from your social posts to your recent mountain shopping inferring your plans of moving out. I am not sure how will they react then? Do you?

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