The emergence of Google has led to the opening of multiple new dimensions. We never knew something called SEO (Search Engine Optimization) before Google created its significance in our lives. (Google baba na hote toh aaj aap ye article bhi nahi padh rahe hote shayad!)
We never knew something called Digital Marketing before Google brought advertisements in search results. As both SEO and Digital Marketing have acquired great positions in our lives, Google has brought another new and mysterious concept - predicting user’s behaviour based on history. (Aap kahan jate hai, kya khate hai, kya kharidte hai, kya khojte hai, ye sab Google baba record krte hai aur phir aapko waqt bewaqt suggestions dete hai!)
Now it is time, to become accustomed to a whole new term, with wider dimensions than that can imagined – Big Data. It is called Big Data, but it is actually, Smart Data. Let us breakdown the big data into an understandable format for beginners like you and me.
We live in a world that is getting digitized at a very fast pace.
And so, there is no doubt that our world is driven by data. Where ever we check in, whatever we like, whatever we search for, whatever time we spend for respective activities, etc. is being recorded every moment spent online by each one of us. (Sirf Google baba hi nahi, Facebook chacha, Instagram mama, Youtube dada, aur unke bandhu bhi data record karte rehte hai.)
In simple words, Big Data is the term that defines the large volumes of data, both structured and unstructured, that is collected, analyzed and studied, for creating business strategies on a weekly basis, if not on a day to day basis.
You must understand that Big Data (recorded data from users) is useless and meaningless, if it cannot be interpreted and turned into useful insights. The true value of data lies in its application to a business process, which makes it Smart Data. (Jab big data se future decisions ya strategies ban jaye, to wo smart data ban jata hai! Waise hi jaise kachre se aap koi statue bana de!)
Big Data Analytics has gripped every aspect of our lives.
Each and every website and mobile application that we browse or use, respectively, records our interests and behaviors, for which they seek permission beforehand only. We agree to this collection of data, unknown to the fact, what happens with data collected on the website?
This helps the websites/mobile apps to modify their processes and potentially mine business gains. They know what customer and business challenges they have to overcome and they act accordingly. (Agar e-commerce site pr ladies kurti zyada bikte hai, toh website par ladies kurti ki variety badhane par profit hoga! Isse profit badhega!)
Data Science and Big Data Analytics are nothing but innovation in the way we treat data.
Big Data can be simply understood as the digitalization of pen and paper surveys, which were conducted when someone used to visit people at their home.
Big Data has removed the shortcomings of traditional surveys.
Pen and paper surveys, in which people usually lied about their preferences, interests, behaviors, health, etc., have gone obsolete now. They never gave reliable results, for people pretended and lied while filling out the survey. (Jaise ki har product unko suit karta hai, aur unhe kabhi kisi brand se shikayat nahi hui.)
Also, the pen and paper surveys, which collected big amounts of data, had a predefined size of sample, say 100 people, which restricted a lot of demographics. So, these surveys were restricted to a certain age group, certain gender, certain profession, or certain consumer style.
Big Data Analytics overcomes both these shortcomings. Since we never know, when and what data is being recorded for the sample, we give honest and genuine information about our preferences, interests, behaviors, health, etc. via the websites and mobile applications that we use, unknowingly. (Big data ke changul se bachna impossible hai.)
Sample size used in Big Data Analytics is also huge.
We are also unaware of the sample size, of which we are being a part of, by spending time online. But its huge, really huge in its population size. To understand why big data is so big, you must read about the 5Vs of Big Data. (Agle article mein is par charcha hogi!)
Big Data bifurcates the restrictions imposed by demographics, as you have multiple types of information recorded simultaneously. For example, age, gender, profession, liking, etc. of a user are recorded all at once.
Therefore, a lot of results, for a particular demographic or a set of demographics can be deduced with the help of Big Data. For example, if you want to find out the percentage of people in a certain age group who have liking for a specific product, you can find it out with the help of big data.
With the increasingly vast amounts of data that are collected (for example through Google searches), we can go beneath the surface and find out what’s behind. We can zoom in on a subset of the data sample and reliably extract information from it. Or we can zoom out to the main set and analyze the patterns. Big Data is a world full of possibilities!
Behind The Curtains of Big Data
The clue is in the name itself. Big Data is so large that it is beyond the capability of human brain to comprehend it. You actually need computational powers to recognize the patterns but the paradox is, its intuitive behavior. Even if you are able to draw conclusions, you must know that it is a predicted stat and might not be true for many people.
It can be understood better based if we take it into our daily life scenarios. We always tend to analyze the people in our surroundings - to draw conclusions about their interests, behaviors, likings, preferences, tastes, etc. (Is store mein ye offer acha chal raha hai, us dukaan mein samaan buri quality ka milta hai, wagerah wagerah! )
Having done so, we eventually believe that because a vast majority goes for a particular thing, it must be something great. The analysis we do is actually from the big amounts of data that we collect from our surroundings. And if you now realize that you do the same, even you are a data scientist!
Big Data Analytics can always provide new information.
Google is a good example of how Big Data can constantly provide new information. In simple terms, Google has redefined the collection of data by making it useful to both small and big business organizations. (Sabzi wale ko bhi pata hota hai ki kis mausam mein kaunsi sabzi kitni bikegi!)
Following Google, social media sharing platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Twitter, have also joined the race for computing patterns and supplying predictions from user demographics. And that’s what we target the audience through in digital advertisements! (Aapka relationship status tak ek targeting option hota hai!)
We struggle each day to find the correlations between things. And yes, correlations do exist. Salary and expenses are linked. Food and diseases are linked. Efforts and success are linked. (Jo log beemar hai, unhe toh doctor ki zaroorat hogi, aur jo fit hai, unhe ghumne tehene ki!)
These correlations can be found with the help of Big Data with randomly collected data and utilized for desired purpose.
Big Data Is So Big That It Can Not Be Flawless
If one is able utilize the collected data in the most fruitful manner, growth is unstoppable. This was the secret behind Google’s giant growth, and it can be the secret behind your growth too. Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and other big technology companies are also using Big Data for maximising profits.
However, the biggest limitation that comes with big data is working on data sets that come with multiple variables. You can never get a perfect result with the help of Big Data Analytics, because it always refers to a group of individuals. (Zyada options ka ye matlab nahi ki saari bhavishyavani sahi ho!)
For the same reason, the Government should not target individuals based on the results of Big Data. These correlations might also be the reason for their downfall, in contrast to their expected rise. (USA jaisa kuch bhi na karne ki koshish kare!)
Big data can help in providing tailored suggestions or results to users, browsing the websites or using mobile applications, but there is no cent percent guarantee that user will engage with it.
The real time interests, behaviours and preferences of users might not match with that predicted by big data. Yet, it is an important tool to maximise user engagement, multiply profits and overcome the present day business challenges.
This is how big is big data! This is how smart is big data!!