Big Data

     Humanity has been on a long journey and has progressed exponentially from the times of B.C. So many inventions have influenced the way humans function as a society. One of the most important features of a global society is the incredible speed of the flow of information. The computers, telephones, and the internet all contribute to binding society closer than ever. Globalization began in the nineteenth century, yet it is definitely not over. Developing countries are yet to fully immerse themselves in stronger global connections.

     In fact, the rate of data exchange has become so large that a term has developed for it: “Big Data”. It is a broad term for data sets so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate. The different aspects of “Big Data” include analysis, capture, data curation, search, sharing, storage, transfer, and visualization. The most simple description for “Big Data” is that it is a predictive analysis. In 2012, it was estimated that 2.5 quintillion bytes of data were created everyday. Quintillion is the number 1 followed by 18 zeros after it. However, this was only for 2012. The numbers for 2015 are immensely larger and are simply becoming incomprehensible for the ordinary person.

     The social media outlets are the primary contributor to this ever-growing number of data flow. For 2012 the facts are as follow per day:

• 144.8 billion emails
• 340 million tweets
• 684,000 bits of content on Facebook
• 72 hours of uploaded Youtube videos

     The list goes on and on. Predictions for 2017 exist that there will be over 600 big-data companies working on analyzing and storing all this information.

     However, the limits are endless. Every time a movie is produced about the future, society realizes how much more advanced people could become. The future is evolving to be a one in which most things will be flowing through the air in streams of data. Technically, it is already happening right now: we see many schools and places of work turning into paper-less environments. This can be looked upon as very environmentally friendly action; less trees will die. But how many more satellites will have to go up into space? How much more energy will have to be used to run all this flow of information? Humanity will not only have to make progress, but also adjust to an entire world based on technology in the future.