WYSIWYG – What you see is what you get?

A short presentation on Big Data and Digitisation at the Max-Planck-Institute fro Social Law and Social Policy

WYSIWYG[1] – Also for Big Data?

WYSIWYG, the supposed revolutionary concept that once opened a new world for computer quarter-literates is not necessarily applicable if we look at the supposed recent revolution: Big Data. More likely we find the emergence of a WYSID – What You See Is Delusion.

[from Leibniz’ writing on the Binary Code Calculating Machine]

The presentation aims on contributing from the perspective of political economy to an understanding of some systemic developments that are hidden behind a blurred understanding of Big Data and Digitisation. The following is guiding the development of the argument:

• Moving from Adventures in Wonderland to seeing the World Through the Looking-Glass – Some Terminological Remarks
• From Gold Standard to Sparkling Diamonds – The Economy of the Digital and Informational Revolution
• The Lonely Crowd versus Crowded Loneliness – About Individual, Social, Public and Private Matters
• L’État c’est moi – l’état, c’est-à-dire nous? – Socio-Eco-Legal Issues around Public and Social Responsibility

On the latter, especially four topics are seen as major challenge:

1. Concentralisation
2. Public-Private-Datachips
3. Changed status of Employees or changed property issues
4. The Firm and the loss of transaction cost

Some background material can be found here.

Here the link to the recording of the presentation  – speaker presentation: Professor Dr. Ulrich Becker.

******

[1]            What you see is what you get