Books › Dataclysm
Dataclysm
320 pages
A witty, voyeuristic peek into the collective human psyche through the unfiltered lens of our internet search histories and dating profiles.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like being handed the keys to the internet's most secret confession booth. It moves at a brisk, engaging clip, translating massive datasets into deeply human stories with a tone that is equal parts irreverent and analytical. The mood is highly voyeuristic and intellectually stimulating, inviting you to laugh at our collective quirks before confronting the darker, more uncomfortable biases hidden in our search bars and dating profiles. The prose is sharp and conversational, making complex statistical concepts feel like a lively dinner party debate. It is a perfect match for pop-psychology enthusiasts and data nerds who want to understand the messy, unfiltered reality of who we are when we think no one is watching.
- Mood
- voyeuristic
- intellectually stimulating
- eye-opening
- Tone
- irreverent
- analytical
- witty
- provocative
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the digital footprint · hidden human biases · the gap between words and actions · modern romance and prejudice · the erosion of privacy
- The writing
- Sharp, data-fluent, and highly accessible, blending statistical analysis with wry humor.
- The arc
- Moves from playful curiosity about human quirks to a deeper, slightly unsettling realization about societal biases and surveillance.
- Who it's for
- Pop-psychology fans and data nerds curious about the messy, unfiltered reality of human behavior.
Content notes
- discussions of racism
- discussions of sexism
- frank discussions of sexual preferences
About the book
An irreverent, provocative, and visually fascinating look at what our online lives reveal about who we really are--and how this deluge of data will transform the science of human behavior. Big Data is used to spy on us, hire and fire us, and sell us things we don't need. In Dataclysm, Christian Rudder puts this flood of information to an entirely different use: understanding human nature. Drawing on terabytes of data from Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, OkCupid, and many other sites, Rudder examines the terrain of human experience. He charts the rise and fall of America's most reviled word through Google Search, examines the new dynamics of collaborative rage on Twitter, and traces human migration over time, showing how groups of people move from certain small towns to the same big cities across the globe. And he grapples with the challenge of maintaining privacy in a world where these explorations are possible. Audacious, entertaining, and illuminating, Dataclysm is a portrait of our essential selves--and a first look at a revolution in the making. --
Description from Open Library.
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