Data Will Help Us

According to Moore’s Law, which was formulated in 1965, technological innovations will double the number of transistors in an integrated circuit every two years. As a result, computers become faster and more information can be processed and stored. Meanwhile, so much information has been stored in servers that we can speak of big data, which is being regarded as the ultimate panacea. Many believe that it can cure all of society’s current ills—from healthcare to environmental pollution—as long as the combined data sets are large enough. In Data Will Help Us, Jonathan Harris recognizes the advantages of big data, but also points out its darker side. After all, technological solutions often create new human problems while failing to solve the old ones. As the texts swing back and forth between advantages and disadvantages, the work takes on a slightly activist feel. And as the rainbow color of the text goes from red to violet, the overall effect is more of alarm.