by
8 months ago

Big Data and the populist right

The Motherboard article, the first below, brought to my attention the confluence of psychological personality theories, pyschographs and big data and how this had been used by Cameron, Trump & the Brexit campaign.

  1. The article which points at the theorists, their original toy-like collection tools on Facebook, and its transition via the Obama campaign into the Cambridge Analytica's big data engine.
  2. Thumbnail for The Data That Turned the World Upside Down - MotherboardThe Data That Turned the World Upside Down - Motherboard
    Psychologist Michal Kosinski developed a method to analyze people in minute detail based on their Facebook activity. Did a similar tool help propel Donald Trump to victory? Two reporters from Zurich-based Das Magazin went data-gathering.​
    Motherboard
  3. Talking about Obama's campaign
  4. Thumbnail for How Obama’s Team Used Big Data to Rally VotersHow Obama’s Team Used Big Data to Rally Voters
    How President Obama’s campaign used big data to rally individual voters.
    Sasha Issenberg
  5. It's not so much the tools, as the governance.
  6. Thumbnail for The real story of how big data analytics helped Obama winThe real story of how big data analytics helped Obama win
    HP Vertica played a major role, as did an org structure that centralized analytics and lowered barriers between teams
    Andrew Lampitt
  7. The Guardian provides a detailed history of how Cambridge Analytica came to be
  8. Thumbnail for Did Cambridge Analytica influence the Brexit vote and the US election?Did Cambridge Analytica influence the Brexit vote and the US election?
    Nigel Oakes’s company is at the centre of a growing controversy over the use of personal data during elections. But is there any evidence that what it does works?
    the Guardian
  9. George Monbiot adds his two-pennies worth
  10. Thumbnail for Big data’s power is terrifying. That could be good news for democracy | George MonbiotBig data’s power is terrifying. That could be good news for democracy | George Monbiot
    Online information is already being used to manipulate us. We must act now to own the new political technologies before they own us
    the Guardian
  11. The Guardian on Axelrod vs Messina, the message crafter vs. the data miner.
  12. Thumbnail for Does David Cameron's win mean Jim Messina is better than David Axelrod?Does David Cameron's win mean Jim Messina is better than David Axelrod?
    Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign manager guided the Conservative incumbent to victory – but does Ed Miliband’s second-place finish apply to Axelrod as well?
    the Guardian
  13. Have the Tories spent two much?
  14. Thumbnail for Watchdog to launch inquiry into misuse of data in politicsWatchdog to launch inquiry into misuse of data in politics
    Investigation follows revelations of digital firm’s involvement in Brexit
    the Guardian
  15. A bit later the Register adds it's twopenny worth. I rather like this quote from the article,
  16. A version of this test is online here, with another that analyses language. The first 1,000 words of Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit speech from January generates a 67 per cent openness rating, making her "liberal and artistic" rather than "conservative and traditional", and a 99 per cent score for her being a man.
  17. Thumbnail for Trump, Brexit, and Cambridge Analytica – not quite the dystopia you're looking forTrump, Brexit, and Cambridge Analytica – not quite the dystopia you're looking for
    Not EVIL, not FIRST, but yes... it's your data and they're using it
    TheRegister
  18. davelevy
    ·
    10 months ago
  19. Image Credit: Merrill College of Journalism CC 2012 BY-NC @flickr