Information Technology Tool

Beth Eddings

MPA 605

April 24, 2017

Google: The Impact of Google on the Computing World

I have learned more about Google and its processes from this project than I knew when I started. Nicholas Carr's book, The Big Switch, was also a great read and did a wonderful job of explaining how things work in a way that made it easy to understand. I think Google will continue to grow and become more over reaching in the world of technology. What started as a search engine company, is now producing its own phones, laptops and other items. It will be interesting to see what new innovation they can come up with next!

Click here to see the History of Google.
Click learn more about a Google processing center.
View a Story Map to learn more about Google.

Information Management for Government - Spring 2017

A Review of The Big Switch

Essential Information

For my review of an information technology book I chose

The Big Switch Rewiring the World from Edison to Google

by Nicholas Carr.

Published by W.W. Norton & Company in 2013

ISBN 978-0-393-34522

Author’s Purpose

In The Big Switch, Carr’s purpose is to inform the reader of the similar effects the internet is having on our world comparing it to the industrial revolution and the advancements that were made with electricity. Carr’s intended audience is the computing public. This book could be easily read and understood by anyone who uses and is affected by electricity and the internet.

Book Thesis

Carr breaks down the history and the positive and negative effects felt in the early 20th century with electricity and brings it back to present day by explaining the history and impact of the internet on computing and our everyday lives. Just as the invention and the spread of electricity into a readily available commodity affected the lives of consumers in every way, so to has the internet in our present situation. Carr states in the book’s prologue, that during a visit to a data center he realized that he was standing in “a prototype of a new kind of power plant-a computing plant that would come to power our information age the way great electric plants power the industrial age” (Carr, 2013, p.5). The efficiency that we can now achieve in the modern era will turn “computing into a cheap, universal commodity” (Carr, 2013, p.5). The book is broken down into two parts, One Machine and Living in the Cloud.

While ‘One Machine’ discusses the beginnings of the industrial revolution, along with the origin and progression of electricity; it also discusses the beginnings of information technology which was surprisingly spurred through the US Census Bureau. They took two large steps first in 1890 by using Herman Hellerith’s punch card machine and then in the 50s by purchasing one of the first commercial computers. We learn in ‘One Machine’ that computers began as something that were not intended for an average everyday tool like we know them today. With large sizes and prices, they were not personal. In the 40 years between 1960 and 2000 though, they became the personal item we know them as today followed soon after by the internet. The internet created the opportunity for all machines to be connected and shared, becoming one.

The second half of the book titled, ‘Living in the Cloud’ delves into what the internet has brought about. It explores how the internet has connected all computers to create a ‘world wide computer’ and the negative and positive consequences that come from this. Carr explores how our use of the internet and computing is creating job displacement, similar to that of electricity’s effect but now it is more continual and widespread. He states, “Computerization puts American wage-earners in a double bind: it reduces the demand for their jobs as it expands the supply of workers ready and able to do them” (Carr, 2013, p.146). We learn that the internet has allowed us to consume singular things purchasing single tracks from albums, pages of books and more. In our eyes, we see that we are able to not waste, when really we could be losing the artistic impact of the work as a whole.

The use of the internet can connect us to many people and things with the click of a button, but just as easy as it can do this for us, it can also do this for those with ill will. It is now a modern concern that terrorism and terror groups can use the internet to coordinate and connect, which leads to a power struggle over how the internet should be controlled for the safety of citizens. When considering citizen safety, we also think of privacy, which we give up as soon as we log in. How we operate online leaves our thumbprint all over the interwebs. We willingly offer up information that identifies us. Ultimately, Carr drives home the point that computing is changing our reality, but we are in control of what and how it affects us.

Support of the Thesis

I agree with Carr and his overall goal of the book to communicate to the reader how technology is changing our lives in many ways and that it is important to recognize the changes good and bad. A portion of the book I found interesting in looking at its application towards our recent presidential election. Mentioning multiple studies on the tendency we have to search out those that are ‘like us’, one found that “the more people converse or otherwise share information with other people who hold similar views, the more extreme their views become” (Carr, 2013, p. 165). This to me was very apparent with the use of social media and the 2016 election, especially seeing as this was written three years prior.

As a social media user, I saw first hand how cut throat and extreme both sides of the political aisle became toward each other unlike any election in the past. Our country also seems now more divided than it has ever been, and looking at the information Carr has presented, it could very well stem from our access to the online communities that create vacuums of our beliefs and viewpoints not allowing for much compromise across the lines.

Concepts of Information Theory

One of the most prominent concepts of information theory present in my book selection is the concept of the duality of information. Formal information is constantly passed back and forth through the internet. Carr shares, “The internet doesn’t just connect information-processing machines, it connects people” (Carr, 2013, p. 217).  Over the world wide computer, we exchange data that allows us to create blogs, post photos, and more all through our applications. The formal “noncontextual, standardized, universal” information is what allows the internet to be so global (Haque, 2015, p.4). The information we are passing back and forth when we make article selections or search for things on Google, is providing that hard data for businesses, marketers, and media sources to know how to act. Informal information comes into play with how we interpret our online actions, the internet allows us to be so connected to the world around us, that we have the opportunity for more social interaction, especially with groups that share our likes and dislikes than we ever have before. The example of ads being tailored to us based on our online activity is also proof of the concept of big data, the “science of data collection that generates economic value and opportunity to customize services” (Haque, 2015, p. xi). Carr shares “few of us are aware of the extent to which we’ve disclosed details about our identities and lives” (2013, p. 190).

Was it interesting?

My personal reading selections do not gravitate towards the topic of information technology. I am more of a historical fiction connoisseur, but I found this book did a great job of keeping this topic interesting and informative. The use of historical facts and how our current actions are still a reflection of what has happened in the past made for a good read. It is not often that you think of computing and the water wheel in the same realm, but when you look at the change both made on our culture, they are very similar. Carr uses many real world examples to support the points he makes about computing and technology. The topics that Carr touches on from chapter to chapter relate back to what we have discussed in the course.

Watch my TedTalk Like Video Presentation

To view my presentation outline, click here

Works Cited:

• Carr, N. G. (2013). The big switch: Rewiring the world, from Edison to Google. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.

Haque, A. (2015). Surveillance, transparency, and democracy: public administration in the information age. Tuscaloosa: University Alabama Press.

Let's Talk About Data. BIG DATA.

My interpretation of big data is that it is how our everyday actions can be used to collect data, without it being obvious to us or a hindrance to our day. Instead of being asked to complete a ten-minute survey at the mall or pestered by those telemarketer phone calls during dinner; data collection now lives in the shadow of my movements. If you want to know what I might buy, look at my Amazon purchases and what I’ve rated. If you think I might be interested in a certain online boutique, look at my Facebook likes. I’m reminded of the ‘Turn on location?’ question that can pop up when using new apps on a phone. Many absentmindedly answer the question with ‘Yes’ because it is of some benefit to them, rarely do we think about how it is benefiting the other side of the equation. The most interesting thing about big data is that most of it we give willingly, and with some naiveté; not thinking about what could happen if it was put into the wrong hands. My thoughts about big data are an expansion of the definition given by the Harvard Business Review, who explained it as "when everyday objects can send and receive data" (2014).  The amount of information gathered from a single day's actions now produces more measurable data than before and with the trend of big data we can use these data sets to our advantage. 

I have been challenged with thinking up a project I'd like to pursue using big data, that would help me personally or professionally and would have impact on the human condition. My thought for a big data project would be to track Facebook posts for combinations of the words 'volunteer' and 'need', and then develop an interactive map that would show which areas in my city and which organizations have the greatest need for volunteers. My idea is that this could then be used for employers, groups, or individuals who are looking for opportunities to volunteer and provide organizations help and support with their service. An impact would be made on the human condition by highlighting those that are in need of the most help providing them with a steadier stream of volunteer, and it provide that opportunity for those willing to give of their time to volunteer. This would create a way to serve and be served in one exchange. 

This project could have a great impact on those local nonprofit organizations that demonstrate need but are overlooked, highlighting them and shedding more light on their mission and their cause. Once implemented and successful on the local level, the map could be updated to statewide, nationwide, and then global. With each successful integration of a larger area, more organizations are helped to be successful. This would not only make the project successful in linking volunteers with opportunities but by providing these organizations with the help they need to succeed we are furthering their missions and effectively touching more people through them. 

             One concern with this big data project is that not all the combinations of the words ‘volunteer’ and ‘need’ will be posts expressing the need of an organization, so a way to sift through those posts that are just stating something versus expressing need will need to be developed. I would also worry with respect to abuse of data that it would put a target on organizations that are suffering and not in a good way. They could lose volunteers, when they find out about other opportunities elsewhere. I also feel like larger organizations could start poaching volunteers and that they could see where their organization would fill the needs more efficiently in one area and boot someone out. When thinking about the misuse of this data by other avenues, I don’t come up with many ideas making me believe this would be a pretty safe use of big data. There is not a lot of personal data being shared through this project so no one’s spending habits or personal data would be up for grabs. 

           In our current time, big data is a very important tool that when harnessed well and used for the right reasons can be powerful in helping us deal with the public challenges we face. As mentioned in the TedTalk, having more data allows us to see new things, better things and different things than what we has been before. As important as putting this new data to use is, we must also place a high disregard on protecting it and protecting the world it could effect if used incorrectly. As public servants, one of the highest callings for us in the future will be to protect those who give of their information and the information its self to sustain the ability to achieve our goals.

With Big Data Comes Big Responsibility. (2014, November 05). Retrieved February 13, 2017, from https://hbr.org/2014/11/with-big-data-comes-big-responsibility

Cukier, K. (n.d.). Big data is better data. Retrieved February 13, 2017, from https://www.ted.com/talks/kenneth_cukier_big_data_is_better_data#t-296479

The Spread of the Stupidity of Computers

The purpose of the article, "The Stupidity of Computers" by David Auerbach is to explain the way computers work, how far they have come, and how far they haven't while highlighting that effect on the human world. They are helpful and useful tools but only in certain ways when processing data. We learn from Auerbach that computers have no ability for inference and if it is not explicitly laid out, errors in analysis can occur. We also learn how much about us is collected and used to analyze things from what we will purchase to who would be our best match for a date. Auerbach’s article is a cautionary tale to the effect computers will have on our future as humans, and how we will begin to define ourselves by the ontologies that have been created through our online personas.

One can apply the knowledge gained from the article and previous course readings to see the relationship between the struggle of computers to understand things with deeper meaning and the duality of information. We know that formal information is “noncontextual, standardized, and is a universal language for communicating” (Haque, 2015, p 4), and that informal data demands context and an understanding of values. When thinking of informal and formal data, computers excel in every area of formal data but hit roadblocks when having to understand the informal. As complex as computers are they are not complex enough to understand the deeper workings and meanings of the English language. 

Auerbach then walks us through the use of ontologies in our many of the popular site we currently use. Ontologies help us to keep things organized, similar to a category, helping us to simplify the world around us. They show up in places like Wikipedia, who is struggling to perfect the use of ontologies simply due to their high volume of informational pages; to Amazon who have profited on the almost perfect utilization of ontologies for the purpose of shopping, simply due to the fact that this use to a computer makes more sense.

With the introduction of social media and sites like Twitter and Facebook, we started to submit data and categorize ourselves through the platforms, providing tons of data to those in charge with much less work on their part. This article’s information was important because computers and the internet have become such an intertwined part of our lives it is important to understand how it is shaping us while we are shaping it.

Since this article was published in 2013, Facebook has created their own system for hashtag usage along with other platforms like Instagram (originally separate but now owned by Facebook). I feel like they were led to this decision after witnessing the powerful affect the hashtag system had for Twitter and the ability for its users to categorize each of the millions of tweets that go out each day. As mentioned in the Auerbach article, Twitter was able to recognize “the value in the metadata of relevant tags”, and created trending topics as a result of this.

Facebook also stepped into the world of trending topics, but faced backlash from users who felt there was a bias in the topics that were showing up as trending. The trending topics on Facebook were at once personalized and interest based but after controversy following the election, trending topics are now determined by geographic region and appear the same for all those found there. According to an article by CBS news, more than 40% of American adults receive their news from Facebook. This made Facebook an alleged contributing factor to the spread of “fake news” and misleading articles (Nieva, 2017). Topics were also at one time based on the amount of engagement, but now are based on the amount of articles being published on that topic (Tech Desk, 2017).

Another example of the use of ontologies and the sorting of metadata is the shopping site for hand-made items, Etsy. You can use the Etsy site to shop for multiple items that have been made by other users, similar to shopping on Amazon you can select the items you are looking for and favorite others. Based on items and shops that the user favorites, Etsy will make other shopping suggestions.

To conclude, while computers assist us more and more each day, it is up to us as practitioners to make sure that what they are doing is correct and that we learn from the data we have gathered to better achieve our goals.

Links that inspired this blog:

Etsy.com

The Stupidity of Computers by David Auerbach

Facebook Changes Trending Topics Section After Backlash by Richard Nieva

Facebook Makes Changes to Trending Topics to Fight Fake News by Tech Desk

Also mentioned:

Haque, A. (2015). Surveillance, transparency, and democracy: public administration in the information age. Tuscaloosa: University Alabama Press.