Big data can be defined as the voluminous amounts of data that is being generated and stored about virtually every aspect of our lives to identify patterns of behavior and make correlations and predictive assessments. It is the way organizations can potentially obtain information to analyze to gain profits and increase their knowledge about their consumers. But from what I have read, it’s much more than that. It’s about all those things that can be done at a large scale that would be impossible to obtain at a smaller one (Mayer-Schonberger & Cukier, 2013)
It sounds pretty terrifying doesn’t it?
However, it is not all that bad. It can be used for several purposes, it is not just about throwing information and advertisements to consumers, it can also be beneficial. Some companies use it to provide an excellent customer service, and Delta Airlines is a great example of that, the company really focuses on offering an excellent social media service – they want to create a great customer experience, and they are able to do that thanks to technology and therefore, thanks to big data.
A top concern for passengers is a lost baggage; particularly when their flight is delayed or when missed connections are involved. Delta looked further into their data and created a solution that would remove the uncertainty of where a passenger’s bag might be. Customers can now snap a photo of their baggage tag using the “Track My Bag” feature on the Delta app and then keep tabs on their luggage as it reaches its final destination.
Finding a new way to put big data to use for the benefit of their passengers put Delta out front in a competitive market. So it was benefiting for both the consumer and the organization.
Summing up, as I am sure Big Data is a big thing. It will change our world completely and it won’t go away. Bernard Marr, uses the 5 V’s idea in order to describe what big data really is.
Why these 5 words to describe big data?
- The name itself, “big data” tells you that it’s a matter of quantity, volume. There is more data cross the internet every second than were stored in the entire internet 20 years ago. You might be thinking Terabytes… but not really, it’s more a matter of Zettabytes or Brontobytes.
- How important is to you that social media messages go viral in seconds? Velocity is more important than volume in some applications.
- Did you know that 80% of the world’s data is unstructured (text, images, video, voice recordings…)? Thanks to big data technology we can bring together different varieties of data and still be able to analyze them properly.
- It is also important to know the veracity and the level of trustworthiness of the data obtained. Just think of Twitter posts with hash tags, abbreviations, typos or coloquial speech.
- However, what do you do with all this information you have access to if you don’t turn it into value? It is useless.
Between now and 2030 the world we know could be so different in so many different ways. Are we ready for that to happen?
B.S
An international agreement with digital marketing 
Very good post, Berta! “Track my bag” app is definitelly a competitive advantage for Delta airlines. I ought to try one day.
Besides the pros for normal consumers, especially businesses, have you thought about cons that it has brought to consumers in terms of data privacy?
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I strongly agree with this. Lots of people underappreciate the benefits of Big data as they only see this to invade our privacy. Rather they do need to acknowledge more of the benefits, especially this example with Delta Airlines as companies need our information to deliver them the best products and service experience.
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Great point Jovan! I mean there are of course some setbacks to big data, no one wants to be invaded or exposed by someone else. But still I believe that if companies and marketers make good use of big data, it can be an extremely useful tool that can benefit all of us.
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thank you Thao! and yes you are right, I just didn’t want to add too much information on the blog, but it indeed a serious thing to take into account. Privacy and the ethical issues are a top concern for consumers I believe, or at least for me. There have been some issues regarding that with some companies such as Facebook, so maybe that issue should be addressed in another way.
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Really nice job Berta, I read some of your posts and this is the first time I share my opinion.
It’s a reality that data is helping ur world to keep improving and it’s making our lifes easier. However, is it really useful all the information stored on the Internet? We could maybe redesign Internet’s system so it was more focused on what we are really looking for (avoiding spam or meaningless web sites)
That’s my point if view, keep doing ur job I really appreciate reading fresh & new posts like yours.
P.N
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Thanks for replying P.N! I am glad you liked it but you made a very good point there, it may not be useful to have so much information stored but it is also not costly at all. And I wish there were some ways we could avoid spam emails and pop-up ads, but I think that then companies will find another way to bombard us with information we don’t want.
Again thank you for commenting!
B.S
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Hey Berta, I really enjoyed reading your blog on big data! The paragraphs were laid out very nicely, and you had subheading for different things you talked about, making it easy to read. You have also consistently used hyperlinks, which is very useful when I need to know more about the theory/issues you addressed. I also liked how you added questions throughout the blog for the readers, making it more engaging and interesting for me to read.
I strongly agree with you that in the next 20 years there’ll be rapid changes to the way we live due to big data, and I have an optimistic view point on this as how Delta Airlines has used it to create great customer service with the “Track My Bag” feature, benefitting both the company and the customers. Even though there are potentially challenges/threats such as security or privacy issues as some marketing companies could take advantage of consumer’s information, I feel that it can also make my life so much easier in the future and I can’t wait!!
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Thank’s for your comment Homa! I am glad to know you liked reading the post, and yes it is true that big data has numerous advantages for society but it is also controversial when it comes to privacy. I hope the matter evolves in a way that will make users feel safe and secure instead of feeling like all our information is available for anyone to see.
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