Christian Rudder

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. --

who we are when we think no one's looking

Dataclysm

Lindy

I feel like I write this in every nonfiction book review, but I wished there was more depth! 

I also wished someone more, I don't know, anthropologically minded had given this book a once over before publication. For example, Rudder treats data showing that bisexual men are more likely to prefer/message other men on OkCupid when compared to older bisexual men as if it were longitudinal, and implies that bi men's sexual preferences change as they get older. However he does not take into account what these men may be doing off the service; a young bisexual man will probably hit on women at a bar, but is at a considerably greater risk of being decked in the face if he were to do so to men. As the dating pool grows smaller with age, he may turn to the internet to scope out both genders. (To be fair, Rudder  does responsibly account for a similar phenomenon showing that North Dakotans are surprisingly liberal when it comes to causual sex in the next chapter and why that isn't the case.) Likewise, Rudder says that "yass," which turns up in a list of words distinctive of popular twitter users, is a contraction of "your ass." This is true, but it's definitely not the most popular use. 

Nonetheless, Dataclysm is an interesting and accessible book, and I imagine it would be especially so to someone with no background in statistics. I appreciated that the author had a sense of humor, and I don't think (reading in 2017) that it has aged poorly, although it would have been helpful if Rudder had cited years in the text rather than simply "last year."

Kaleo Griffith

Who We Are

Sonia Grgas

Ketan Nayak

Who we are - when no one is looking is almost a perfect title for this book. Data captured in the way the users use an internet service can reveal a lot about the collective group's tendencies, behaviors and biases - Christian Rudder exposes these in a light and visual manner while leveraging data from some of the most popular consumer internet services out there including Google, Facebook, Twitter and of course Christian's own Okcupid. The patterns shared through the data might almost come across as intuitive in some cases, but there is nuance in the details that is demonstrated quite well. There are parts on privacy, security and an almost political-sounding data usage discourse that threaten an otherwise quick and fun read.

Kerry Gibbons

Pretty darn good book. Very interesting look at Big Data.

b.andherbooks

The best sort of non-fiction - readable, witty, and well-researched. Rudder does an amazing job breaking down very complicated stats and methodology and also illuminates some thought-provoking questions about what we are all doing while "online." A perfect book to ready slowly, chapter by chapter while on breaks at work.

Konrad Lischka

Dimi

Sara Sunshine

Who We Are (When We Think No One's Looking)

Chris Wilcox

Patricia lee

Michelle

Cristian Garcia

Momen Yehya 

A New York Times Bestseller An audacious, irreverent investigation of human behavior—and a first look at a revolution in the making Our personal data has been used to spy on us, hire and fire us, and sell us stuff we don’t need. In Dataclysm, Christian Rudder uses it to show us who we truly are. For centuries, we’ve relied on polling or small-scale lab experiments to study human behavior. Today, a new approach is possible. As we live more of our lives online, researchers can finally observe us directly, in vast numbers, and without filters. Data scientists have become the new demographers. In this daring and original book, Rudder explains how Facebook "likes" can predict, with surprising accuracy, a person’s sexual orientation and even intelligence; how attractive women receive exponentially more interview requests; and why you must have haters to be hot. He charts the rise and fall of America’s most reviled word through Google Search and examines the new dynamics of collaborative rage on Twitter. He shows how people express themselves, both privately and publicly. What is the least Asian thing you can say? Do people bathe more in Vermont or New Jersey? What do black women think about Simon & Garfunkel? (Hint: they don’t think about Simon & Garfunkel.) Rudder also 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. Visually arresting and full of wit and insight, Dataclysm is a new way of seeing ourselves—a brilliant alchemy, in which math is made human and numbers become the narrative of our time.

Dataclysm who we are when we think no one's looking

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