Data science (done wrong) in big tech can erode humanity's individuality
I’ve been reading The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté. It’s a long, fairly heavy book about trauma, social connectivity and our emotional wellbeing in today’s world. I didn’t expect it to hit me right in the career feels. One particular chapter struck very hard in relation to a lot of work we do in corporate (product) data science. Today’s interconnected world has uncovered a particular weakness in humans - our desire to fit in - and data science takes advantage of this to the detriment of humankind.