Staff Pick
Using the data he collected from his dating website as well as other social media sources, Harvard grad and OkCupid cofounder Christian Rudder presents us with a highly readable, honest, and funny look at human behavior. From flirting demographics to marital success stats, he demonstrates our changeable yet predictable nature in a way that is neither plauditory nor judgmental. The charts, graphs, and illustrated tweets throughout are the perfect finishing touch as visual eye candy for your inner nerd. Recommended By Aubrey W., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
A New York Times Bestseller
An audacious, irreverent investigation of human behavior — and a first look at a revolution in the making
Our personal data has been used to spy on us, hire and fire us, and sell us stuff we don’t need. In Dataclysm, Christian Rudder uses it to show us who we truly are.
For centuries, we’ve relied on polling or small-scale lab experiments
to study human behavior. Today, a new approach is possible. As we live
more of our lives online, researchers can finally observe us directly,
in vast numbers, and without filters. Data scientists have become the
new demographers.
In this daring and original book, Rudder
explains how Facebook “likes” can predict, with surprising accuracy, a
person’s sexual orientation and even intelligence; how attractive women
receive exponentially more interview requests; and why you must have
haters to be hot. He charts the rise and fall of America’s most reviled
word through Google Search and examines the new dynamics of
collaborative rage on Twitter. He shows how people express themselves,
both privately and publicly. What is the least Asian thing you can say?
Do people bathe more in Vermont or New Jersey? What do black women think
about Simon & Garfunkel? (Hint: they don’t think about Simon &
Garfunkel.) Rudder also traces human migration over time, showing how
groups of people move from certain small towns to the same big cities
across the globe. And he grapples with the challenge of maintaining
privacy in a world where these explorations are possible.
Visually arresting and full of wit and insight, Dataclysm is a new way of seeing ourselves — a brilliant alchemy, in which math is made human and numbers become the narrative of our time.
Review
“Demographers, entrepreneurs, students of history and sociology, and
ordinary citizens alike will find plenty of provocations and, yes, much
data in Rudder’s well-argued, revealing pages.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“With a zest for both the profound and the wacky, Rudder demonstrates
how the information we provide individually tells a vast deal about who
we are collectively. A visually engaging read and a fascinating topic
make this a great choice not just for followers of Nate Silver and fans
of infographics, but for just about anyone who, by participating in
online activity, has contributed to the data set.” Library Journal
Review
“[Rudder] doesn’t wring or clap his hands over the big-data phenomenon
(see N.S.A., Google ads, that sneaky Fitbit) so much as plunge them into
big data and attempt to pull strange creatures from the murky depths.” The New Yorker
About the Author
Christian Rudder is a co-founder and former president of the
dating site OkCupid, where he authored the popular OkTrends blog. He
graduated from Harvard in 1998 with a degree in math and later served as
creative director for SparkNotes. He has appeared on Dateline NBC and
NPR’s “All Things Considered” and his work has been written about in the
New York Times and the New Yorker, among other places. He lives in
Brooklyn with his wife and daughter.