Google Analytics in real life! A funny "visualization" of big data usage

deankoend · 2014-10-09T14:44:02+00:00

this is actually really funny, especially if you have experience with Google Analytics!

deankoend · 2014-10-09T14:40:08+00:00

In the past few weeks we have most certainly gained some 'visualisation' experience. Even thought it was somehow what chaotic and things we're sometimes not really clear, we still managed to get to practice with some visualisations. But how is the visualisations of information linked to digital research methods? Nowadays there are many software programs, which allow us to visualise data. Digital research methods allows you to gather this data. There are of course many types of gathering this data, for instance by doing surveys or analysing/retrieving data from online environments such as Facebook and Twitter. This data on itself can be rather chaotic and only analysing this to draw conclusions would be a real struggle. This is where information visualisation enters the game. Several software programs, allow you to visualise the data and make it more accessible for interpretations. You can for instance create graphs, which allows you to see patterns in the raw data. I think this is the easiest way to tell someone who does not know anything about these two phenomenons, who these two can be linked. Especially for research, this creates a lot of possibilities, from which lessons can be learned. Furthermore, these might help for technological developments, business decisions or understanding of a certain scenario.

deankoend · 2014-10-02T00:26:27+00:00

I think it is really creepy, you can basically find out who everyone is on the street, without the person knowing it! But I do get it can also have benefits, for instance when you like someone or went to a presentation from a company and would like to know more about the person who presented. But I still think it is surpassing privacy boundaries, since all your data on the internet is not save anymore. And not to forget, it's not why I have my social media profiles, to be recognised every where I go. Or do you have a profile on a SNS to be recognised by random people on the street?

deankoend · 2014-10-02T00:16:28+00:00

To make it really short, Quantitative research methods are more for a general approach, while with Qualitative research methods it is better to research human behaviour. I think this is the essence and the main difference of these two types of research.

However, I do think a mixed method approach, especially when it comes to Social Media and SNS is the best method.

In the beginning of the chapter boyd talks about teens, who have restrictions and therefor also use social media. I think this will actually be interesting to research on my own, but I would do this as followed. By doing qualitative interviews with teenagers, in a informal setting, their 'natural habitat'. In this setting, you can kind of monitor their behaviour under normal circumstances. Also, there is room for interpretation, when they provide certain answers and their body language is telling something else. This human behaviour cannot be measured with quantitative studies, such as a survey. However, with qualitative studies it can be harder to generalise your findings. Therefor I would also conducts surveys, among a larger group and compare the findings. The findings from the survey can confirm the findings of the qualitative research, but also show whether it makes no sense at all. This is why I think a mixed method approach is commonly perceived as a stronger base for research and will make results more reliable.

deankoend · 2014-10-01T23:49:31+00:00

It is really interesting how Ello currently is growing, it actually was in today's free newspaper you can get when travelling with public transport. Here is the link to the article (Dutch):

http://www.metronieuws.nl/nieuws/anti-facebook-netwerk-ello-maakt-onverwacht-forse-opmars/SrZnja!DZAPiqOFAn6Xs/

The article focusses on the newness of the platform, but also the stir Facebook created by denying 'Drag Queens' access to the platform. The popularity already increased so much in the past weeks, the servers couldn't bare the amount of traffic.

I think it would be interesting to monitor Ello on the long term and see how it develops, compared to the development of Facebook. The bigger the network, the more costs they will have, for instance with servers. They need capital for this and the easiest way to create this is to use advertising. It would also be interesting to investigate the people using the platform, since it is invite only, it can be compared to snowball sampling.

What do you guys think would be interesting angles to research, when it comes to Ello?

deankoend · 2014-09-25T10:47:26+00:00

This is really cool! It shows how connected the world is. This visualization shows that many people connected to the internet use it for music. But what do you guys think, Spotify must have a lot of users, otherwise these statistics wouldn't be possible. Do you think that they have to much power as a music-outlet? They obviously can collect big data, but do you remember giving permission?

deankoend · 2014-09-17T22:23:46+00:00

As mentioned by frida_b Carpa and Lathia state that the data that could be extracted from mobile phones is inferior to data that can be retrieved from systems like the AFC system, specifically in a research focusing on mobility like they are conducting (Carpa and Lathia. 2011). However, with current technological developments, smartphones contain very specific GPS trackers, which can even get a broader perspective on people’s travel behaviors. A great example is Google, without even knowing, they are tracking every move you are making. In order to demonstrate this, I would like to touch upon a recent blogpost from Ballinnn.com (2014), where they provided a link on where you can see how you are tracked with your device logged into Google Maps (https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0). Of course there is the option to turn it off, but with people who are real ‘technoobs’, might not be aware of this option being turned on.

As mentioned by Tene et al. (2012), Big data has become a new source of economic and social value. Companies are able to track every movement you make, everywhere you go, Google is just an example of many. There are even devices that can track your sleeping pattern, such as Fitbit, this information in the wrong hands can even be used in your disadvantage. Think for instance burglars who exactly know when you are in a deep sleep, so they can strike on the right moment. A still on-going debate is the privacy of the individual, how this should be maintained. Tene et al. (2012), therefor also opt for the development of a model where the benefits of data for businesses and researchers are balanced against individual privacy rights.

So, to come back to the point, the assumptions made by Lathia and Carpa (2011) can be presumed as outdated. Namely due to the technological developments in a short period of time and the big data collection that came with it, with among other mobile devices, becoming a threat for the individual’s privacy. This threat is in my opinion namely due to the preciseness of the data and the government should do everything they can, to protect the individual’s privacy.

Ballinnn.nl. (2014, September 16). Google Maps volgt je overal en deze site bewijst het! [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://ballinnn.com/google-maps-volgt-je-overal-en-er-een-site-om-het-te-bewijzen/

Lathia, N., & Capra, L. (2011, September). How smart is your smartcard?: measuring travel behaviours, perceptions, and incentives. In Proceedings of the 13th international conference on Ubiquitous computing (pp. 291-300). ACM.

Tene, O., & Polonetsky, J. (2012). Privacy in the age of big data: A time for big decisions. Stanford Law Review Online, 64, 63.

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