If You Can’t Beat Big Data, Join Big Data

As users, we want to do as little work as possible for the greatest return. I assume that by buying into the Apple cult and carrying every Apple product on my person, in my bag or being within an arms reach of a device at nearly all times that I should reap some benefit. We’re in this relationship together, right Apple?

With the rising focus on data and the ability to track our every geographic move, user behavior across device and usage patterns, we can expect technology to become even more helpful as we move towards personalized interaction within our apps and devices. I go as far as to track  every step I take and calorie that goes in my mouth, so we’ve gotten REAL personal, me, my data and the world. I admit this has somewhat of a creepy factor, but in my humble opinion, you’re not going to beat them (at least I’m not), so you might as well join them and embrace that A.I. is translating your every move into an easier life. Think about it, we basically give access to all of our personalized information through email, calendar, contacts, Twitter, Facebook, Google, you name it. This should be a two-way relationship with mutually consenting adults, so if I’m giving and giving, what is it that I’m getting?

What you get is a new wave of apps, deemed “smart” apps that learn your usage behaviors by collecting data from other applications on your device. Because the smart apps have so much access to data they become contextually aware and create a very personal experience allowing them to be proactive and predicative creating real time experiences around your daily life, habits and routine. Scott Gillum predicts that “by 2017, we are going to download mobile apps more than 268 billion times, and mobile users are likely to provide personalized data streams to more than 100 apps and services daily.”

This granular data adds up to a more global and comprehensive understanding of our own behavior. With the most cutting-edge tracking apps, information is being taken real-time, reserving your precious time and energy for understanding your behavior rather that entering it. Whether its physical activity apps that help us be healthier or banking apps that help us better understand our purchasing habits, apps that require heavy input have huge potential for useful output. Our advice? Exercise cautious optimism regarding big data, and look forward to how certain apps will make us healthier, smarter, and more efficient.