4) Not All Data Are Equivalent

In this subsection, the author explained how researchers need to be careful when interpreting the results of big data, since it is not always obvious what statistics gleaned from large data tells us about the nature of personal relationships. I agree with the author’s analysis. It is not uncommon for individuals to be ‘friends’ with people on social media who they are not truly friends with in real life, either because these connections are professional acquaintances or relative strangers whose friend request was accepted out of politeness. A user may also choose to connect to someone on social media purely out of interest in following what that person publishes, rather than from having amicable feelings. Lastly, it is important for researchers to remember that there are many people who don’t frequent the internet and whose behavior may not be exhibited when big data is analyzed.

5) Just Because it is Accessible Doesn’t Make it Ethical

This section raises the question of how ethical it is to analyze data consisting of social content created by individuals who are not aware that their data is being studied. While traditional humanistic studies usually required researchers to obtain the consent of the research subjects, the sheer scale of big data makes it impractical to ask for the permission of each individual involved. Perhaps a solution to this problem is to make users more aware of the possibility that their content may be used for studies. While I assume that most social media sites have terms of agreement that specify this in fine print, perhaps it is their duty to be more direct with users by occasionally displaying infomercials and videos, in place of commercial advertisements, to increase user awareness of how their data may be used.