Big Data - Is It Right for You?

Following our April 1 class discussion regarding careers in big data, I searched for more information on the topic. As I searched, I came across an interesting and insightful article from January 14, 2013 in Computerworld magazine titled "Big Data Means Big IT Job Opportunities -- for the Right People." The author of the article, Tam Harbert, describes the high number of jobs available to IT professionals interested in big data. But the point of the article is to explain that not all IT professionals have the proper qualifications to be big data analysts. In order to investigate what qualities are sought by those companies that work with big data, Harbert went straight to the source and asked several movers and shakers in the field for their opinions on the topic. The professionals interviewed work in various fields including finance, IT staffing, and business analytics. Some of those interviewed include Sandeep Sacheti of Wolters Kluwer Corporate Legal Services, Greta Roberts, CEO of Talent Analytics, and D.J. Patil, data scientist with venture capital firm Greylock Partners. All of the individuals stressed one trait over all others while describing what constitutes a successful big data analyst. They all said that the individual must be curious by nature. Curiosity is what inspires analysts to explore with the attention to detail that is necessary in working with large volumes of data. Those interviewed also emphasized the importance of having a widely varied skill set. The importance of big data analysis is growing in many different areas, and having a wide breadth of knowledge makes individuals more desirable and marketable as they seek employment as data analysts. Harbert concludes the article by saying that some employers are willing to train individuals who lack previous experience but only if they have the appropriate personality traits. 

I agree with the article, as I think that it does take a particular personality type to work with big data. It is not a field where you wake up one day and say to yourself, "I think I'm going to look for a job working with big data today." I think it is a field that one is instinctively drawn to as it appeals to a particular aspect of that person's nature. In regard to personality traits, there is one that I was surprised was not mentioned in the article, patience. Working with the large amount of numbers required while analyzing data would be tedious and would most surely be a test for an analyst's patience. I consider myself very patient, but I am not sure how I would handle poring over numbers for a living.            

Chromebooks in Libraries

The article "Winds of Change: Libraries and Cloud Computing" touches on a subject that I have been extremely interested in over the past few months. Specifically, I have been looking at the viability of introducing web-centric Chromebooks into libraries. While researching the topic, I came across a report published by the State Library of Ohio. The report gave the findings of a trial performed in fall 2012 when ten Chromebooks were placed in three libraries in the central region of the state. The libraries were chosen as they represented three distinct demographic areas: urban, suburban, and rural.

The experiment resulted in several interesting findings, some of which reinforce the value of using the web based devices. One of the main advantages is their cost, between $199 and $250, although there are some that are more expensive. Another advantage is their ability to personalize the user's experience. All a library patron need do after checking out a Chromebook is to log in with a Google account, and his bookmarks, documents, and applications are available to him. People may say that this functionality is also available on a standard laptop PC with the Chrome browser installed. However, using Chrome on a PC requires patrons to log onto the computer (if the library requires patrons to log onto their machines) as well as log into the Chrome browser. This can become a privacy issue if a patron does not log out of the browser when he is finished with his session. Chromebooks require one login, and logs out automatically when the laptops are closed or the machines are shut down.

The negative aspects of Chromebooks mentioned in the Ohio Library's report deal primarily with the lack of ability to run applications such as those included in the Microsoft Office, Libre Office, and Open Office suites, although Google covers these areas with its ever evolving online applications. Probably the biggest issue however is printing. Chromebooks simply do not work with network printing the same as other laptops. Because of Google's emphasis on making the devices usable in almost any environment, the printer issue will, more than likely, be remedied eventually.

Libraries have much to gain by offering Chromebooks to their patrons. A recent Forbes article sheds more light on the Chromebook and how it is gaining a foothold in the laptop market. As stated in the article, the market is changing quickly, and an affordable cloud-based machine presents an enticing alternative to traditional PCs in financially strapped areas such as academia.  

The Power of the Cell

In the New York Times article "Can the Cell phone Help End Global Poverty?", author Sara Corbett details the extent to which human-behavior researcher, Jan Chase, relies on his cell phone as he travels the world. The article is interesting in that it not only describes Chase's cell phone habits but also those of the people he encounters through his travels, primarily in developing countries. The article, as well as our class discussion on the topic, piqued my interest, so I sought out more information in regard to cell phone use in developing countries.

While searching, I came across a Techcrunch.com article titled "How the Future of Mobile Lies in the Developing World." The article was written by the co-lead of Tech Innovation for UNICEF, Erica Kochi. Kochi explains that, due to the high demand for connectivity in areas that have a limited wireless infrastructure, connectivity has turned into a commodity. The value placed on air time has given rise to a market for buying and selling air time left on prepaid phones. The selling of airtime can become an issue for some countries as state run banks lose the benefit of gaining funds that are now being channeled toward cellular service providers. This poses a catch 22 for banks as cellular connectivity also enables individuals to access financial services that would otherwise be unavailable to them.

UNICEF, realizing the possibilities for economic growth afforded by cellular phones in developing countries, has made it a mission to seek out the assistance of cellular handset developers, service providers, and software companies to come together and create cell phones and services specifically for markets where the citizens are unable to afford the luxury of owning a cell phone. Providing affordable, wide spread cellular services to enrich the lives of people living in developing countries is a lofty goal, and the fact that cellular service providers are beginning to see the chance to profit from marketing their products in those areas makes the goal much more attainable.

Raves and the Modern Protest

The article "Protest in an Information Society: A Review of Social Movements and New ICTs," made me consider the power of social networks in the organization of protests. Organizers around the world use Twitter, Facebook and other social media to spur thousands of potential protesters into action at a moment's notice. Raves also exemplify the power of the organizational aspects of social networks, although on what is typically a much smaller scale than the many times violent political protests that happen around the world. Having been in the middle of a rave, I have seen what can be accomplished through the effective use of social media.

Before December 3, 2009, the closest I had ever come to experiencing a rave was through YouTube videos and news clips on television. At the time, I was a new employee working the evening shift in the Reference Department at the UT Chattanooga library. Around 8:00 I noticed an unusually large, steady stream of students working their way into the library. After much of the first floor was crowded with students, the excitement level in the room began to build quickly, finally culminating in a chaotic, floor shaking, show of unbridled youthful exuberance that, frankly, scared the hell out of me. There are several videos on YouTube that document the event, one of which can be seen here. Although the rave was not as large as some that happened across college campuses that year, it was large enough for me to get a fairly good idea of how they work. It also marked my YouTube debut, as the student taking the video was standing by the reference desk just to my right. I can be seen at the 34 second mark. Occasionally I look back at that video and think, "Wow, I've aged alot in four years!" But more importantly, I realize that no matter the reason, whether it is to let loose following exams or to fight for one's individual human rights, social media is a powerful tool for the quick organization of public demonstrations.

Teachers, Students and Social Networks

Of the articles included in last week's readings, I found the one titled "Facebook or Faceblock: Cautionary Tales Exploring the Rise of Social Networking within Tertiary Education" to be especially interesting. In it, author Peter Duffy describes both the pitfalls and advantages of integrating social media into the classroom. The term itself, "social networking," helps to indicate the intention of such sites. Although some social networks like LinkedIn were designed with the intention of networking for a career minded user base, sites such as Facebook and MySpace were not. Their designers honed in on the desire of individuals to stay connected with friends and family, hence the term "social." Adapting a tool that, from the outset, was primarily designed for communication among friends is a challenging proposition. It has been proven time and time again that social networks, especially Facebook, can be utilized for positive endeavors beyond keeping friends connected. One only needs to look at the way in which Facebook is being used to raise awareness and funding for the relief of natural disaster victims around the world to understand the positive impact of social networks when used responsibly. On the other hand, one can also see the negative aspects of social networking by reading the jaw dropping news stories about teachers friending students, such as those mentioned in NBC News columnists Bob Sullivan's October 22, 2010 article "Teachers, students and Facebook, A Toxic Mix." Sullivan gives several examples of teachers who had their careers destroyed as they opened their personal lives to students via Facebook. I find it amazing what some of the teachers posted on Facebook. I also find it unsettling that the teachers in the article demonstrated such an unconscionable lack of self control that they would post the material, knowing that it would be read by impressionable youth. I wonder if they ever stopped to consider how detrimental their actions were to themselves, their students, their schools, and their families. Social networks can be powerful instructional tools, but I think that Facebook in particular is primarily a truly social tool and using it as a means of communication between students and teachers can be risky. To address the issue, many school districts are forbidding teachers from friending students on social networks, much like the New York City School District did in Spring 2012. However, I do think that it is important to teach young people the responsible use of social networks, and there are other alternatives aside from Facebook. Tools such as Twiducate, Teachade, and Edmodo serve to teach the proper use of social networks while providing a safe environment for both students and teachers. 

Girls and Games: The IT Field in a Nutshell

I am fascinated by Justine Cassell's article "Genderizing HCI." In it, she describes how video games have historically been designed and marketed to males, namely young boys. She also describes how video game designers are beginning to see the value of marketing games for females. Evidence of this realization can be seen through the creation of strong female video game characters such as Tomb Raider's Lara Croft, Metroid's Samus Aran, and Uncharted's Elena Fisher. These and are other strong female gaming characters are discussed in an article at Gamersmint.com titled "Case Study: Strong Female Characters in Video Games." Cassell gives a fairly thorough history of the marketing of female-centric video games. That in itself is interesting, but even more interesting to me is the way in which Cassell relates the video game market to the world of IT in general. The video game world, with its marketing, design, and production budgets focused toward the young male demographic is a microcosm for the genderized world of IT. Video game producers think that putting a female lead in a game can be a (pardon the pun) game changer, but it will take a lot more than that to change the way games are viewed after years of marketing toward a specific demographic. It is not only males who are primarily playing video games, although this is changing, but it is also primarily males who design and code the software. As game producers need to focus on bringing female game designers and developers into the field, technology companies also need to entice more females into their ranks. As history shows, it will be challenging to increase the number of women in the technology field. But as women like Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook and Jill Puleri of IBM have demonstrated, women are not only able to compete but can be powerful forces in bringing profound changes in what is typically viewed as a male dominated field.      

The Digital and Social Divide

In the MacArthur Foundation supported blog, Spotlight on Digital Media and Learning, blogger Heather Chapin entered a September 17, 2012 post titled "Are Class Differences in Parenting Creating a New Digital Divide?" In the post, Chaplin describes how some aspects of the digital divide cannot be bridged by money alone. The digital divide was once seen as a purely financial issue, where Middle and upper income families had access to technology and internet services that were simply unattainable by lower income families. Streamlined manufacturing processes have drastically lowered the cost of many of today's computers and other web enabled devices, and internet service providers are making more affordable service options. As a result, many lower income families who were unable to buy computers a few years ago can now install one in their homes and have access to high speed internet services. Even with the change in the affordability of computers, a digital divide still exists. As Chapin states in her blog post, the sociological differences between income levels continues to be an imposing wedge contributing to the digital divide. The problem lies in the fact that middle and upper income parents, in many cases, invest more time in their children's educations than lower income families. This is not to say that parents in a lower income bracket do not care about their children's educations. The lack of involvement in education, in many cases, simply comes as a result of parents having to work long hours at low wages to provide for their families. Unlike the financial aspects of the digital divide, the sociological problems will not be as easily remedied. Only through the additional support of individuals outside the home, including teachers, mentors, and librarians will the children of lower income families be given the opportunity to learn to use technology to enhance their educational experiences.          

Frugal Innovation = Inspired Innovation

Bret Ryder, author of the article "First Break all the Rules: The Charms of Frugal Innovation," gives readers several examples of the way in which creative product designers were able to devise lifesaving products for people who are living in areas with struggling economies. The mentality of those inspired individuals stands in stark contrast to other countries, such as the United States, where it seems that most products are designed to be sold at a price point set just a faction below consumer's comfortable spending levels.It was inspirational to read about people like India's Dr. Devi Shetty and Ananth Krishnan, as they truly desired to make products that can be accessible to people who have difficulties providing their families with the basic necessities of life. An article in the July / August 2012 edition of the Ivy Business Journal (http://bit.ly/YLdr54) reiterates the social impact of businesses and individuals who focus on customers residing at the bottom of the financial pyramid. The author of the article, Kaushik Mukerjee, looks at the building blocks vital to frugal innovation. This includes designing affordable products, knowing the customers, and building new value chains. Frugal innovation typically comes as a result of a necessity to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles through adaptation and invention. Many inspired products have come to reality through frugal innovation. As long as areas of the world face financial and social struggles, innovative thinkers will continue to devise ways of providing cost effective products for those to which the items would typically be unattainable.   

Facebook and the Real World

In the article "Taking Risks When Communicating on the Internet: The Role of Offline Social-Psychological Factors in Young People's Vulnerability to Online Risks," authors Sonia Livingstone
and Ellen J. Helsper contrast the real world and online relationships of teens. The article may be viewed by using the following link, http://bit.ly/WBs5N2. Through Livingstone and Helsper's research, it is made apparent that teens can display drastically different personalities while interacting online. I find the article fascinating as it affirms many of my personal  ideas regarding teens and their use of social networks, primarily Facebook. I know of young people who are shy and withdrawn in their daily lives but become outgoing, and sometimes abrasive, when hiding behind what they perceive to be an anonymous online persona. Furthermore, I also know of friendships between teens that have been irreparably damaged as a result of unrestrained online personal attacks. It is the responsibility of parents to let their children know that their actions in the virtual world can have very real, very profound, effects on real world relationships. This understanding is essential as children grow in a world where an ever increasing reliance is being placed on social networks as vital modes of communication.      

My Understanding of the Field of “Social Informatics”

Social Informatics is the study of online communications tools and how their use impacts us as a society. One only needs to consider the millions of users that rely heavily on social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for both personal and corporate communications to see how the tools have become essential parts of the digital landscape. The tools' potential to reach millions of users around the globe is nothing short of phenomenal. For example, in an article posted on the Forbes website, columnist Lim Yung-Hui stated that, as of September 3, 2012, social networking giant Facebook had a total of 943 million users around the world (http://onforb.es/R6DjnC). Anything that has this far reaching societal impact deserves to be studied. Not only do Facebook and other online communications tools deserve their own field of study, but there is an obligation for the academic community to scrutinize their use. It is through the realization among academics that online networking is a worthy field of study that Social Informatics has grown.