Yes, that is a catchy headline, but if you’ve read me for anytime you also know I love a good analogy. This analogy comes from Dan Ariely as shared by Iwona during #cikm2013.
Nailed it #cikm2013 #bigdata pic.twitter.com/gY5jIQ2V7h
— Iwona Bialynicka-B. (@iwonabb) October 31, 2013
For those who can’t load the image it says:
Big data is like teenage sex:
everyone talks about it,
nobody really knows how to do it,
everyone thinks everyone else is doing it,
so everyone claims they are doing it…
As a big proponent of no sex before marriage, this is a little out there for me, but the analogy illustrated the point so well. In fact, I think this is why in healthcare we’re seeing a new line of smaller data project with meaningful outcomes.
What I wish we could change is the final part. How about we all stop hiding behind what we are and aren’t doing. We all deserve to be frank about our actual efforts. The fact is that many organizations aren’t doing anything with big data and quite frankly they shouldn’t be doing anything. Kind of like how many teenagers shouldn’t be having sex.
EMR & EHR, brought to you buy Santorum and Cuccinelli!
Many also live in denial and emphatically state nothing is happening when in fact, nearly the opposite is true. Like teenage sex, big data is here, yes, even in Healthcare, and no amount of denying the obvious will lessen the possible impact, nor change the highly probable end result. Planning for privacy is critical lest our personal identifiable health information will eventually become public.
Robert,
Great extension of the analogy. Definitely another side to it that’s very important. The use of data in healthcare is going to be important and some will be left behind when they don’t acknowledge its potential. I guess I’m just an advocate of data being used when its appropriate and with a meaningful purpose as opposed to just some vague projects with little understanding of the data project goals.
[…] I posted on EMR and EHR, Big Data is Like Teenage Sex, but skinny data is very different. Skinny data is about doing something valuable with the data. […]