Homework: Watch Video:
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08tzbk74hLU
Wednesday Outline
- NISHA: Discussion: What are your thoughts on public good? What does “public good” mean to you? (BROOKE will write these answers on the board)
- CHEYENNE: Class activity – Public goods game
- Who donated nothing?
- Who received less than they donated?
- Who received more than they donated?
- What are your initial reactions to this exercise?
- Afterwards, ask the following questions to gauge numbers:
- Presentation: slide discusses how the public good game addresses issues of power (who has more chips and who has less; those with more have the ability to benefit more and control the development), benefit (those who have less often benefit more), and free rider (those who didn’t donate are still getting benefits)
- BROOKE: Presentation: PowerPoint slides on definition of public good in general
- Counterpoint: “Big data can be used for bad things, so it’s not inherently good; it’s also more easily used by data-literate people, so it’s not really public”
- All public goods are subject to this kind of criticism (national parks benefit those who live closer more, and aren’t necessarily good for everyone, for example)
- Yes, big data is generally considered to potentially be a public good
- Fear of the free rider problem is evident in big data, too. Big data can disappear at any time, so many people would be willing to pay for data to make sure it stays available.
- Discussion: How could these apply to maintaining big data for public good?
- Discussion: Is big data a public good according to the economic definition? Why or why not?
- Presentation: Discussion of how other public good entities are maintained
- Counterpoint: “Big data can be used for bad things, so it’s not inherently good; it’s also more easily used by data-literate people, so it’s not really public”
- NISHA: Discussion: Can anyone think of examples of companies using big data for public good? (CHEYENNE will write these answers on the board)
- Companies want to be easily connected to their consumers, and also want to “change the world”; big data can help them do that
- Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-GVd_HLlps stop at 1:06
- Presentation: Many new companies are “social ventures”, or companies that seek to address a social problem instead of only generating revenue. Slide listing some start-up companies using big data for public good. Slide listing examples of large organizations using big data for public good.
- Debate – pro and con sides for each of the following statements
- Big data is a public good.
- Companies should have basically unfettered access to data if they are committed to using it only for the public good.
- Big companies are more capable of pursuing public good than small start-ups.
- Final thoughts on big data and the public good for today?
Homework: Watch Video and Blog Post:
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy9wQyxdZ2I
Research a company (either non-profit or for profit) that we have not mentioned in class that has a public good initiative. What is the company’s main purpose/goal? What is its social good initiative? How does the company use big data to address the social good? How does the company obtain that big data? Where is the data coming from? Is it a start-up or an established company? If it is a non-profit company, how are they benefiting from pursuing the public good? If it is for-profit, how much of the business is dedicated to pursuing the public good? Write a 400-500 word response.
Monday Outline
- Discussion: Why might some people be hesitant to allow big data for public good? (Write these answers on the board)
- Presentation: reasons for resistance to using big data for public good
- clip from Parks & Rec season 7 – Gryzzl data mining and giving people gifts makes them angry (Season 7, Episode 5. Start at 2:35 – end at 3:57 – start at 4:53 – end at 6:00 – start at 6:35 – end at 7:10 – start at 17:15 – end at 17:57
- Clip Discussion
- almost universal agreement that data mining is negative, even though they received free gifts – why?
- Some people (like those represented by Ron Swanson) believe that anyone who uses devices has no right to dispute data mining. Others (like those represented by Ben Wyatt) believe that companies should be transparent in their usage, and that since the Internet is non-optional, people should be able to opt out. What are your thoughts?
- Clip Discussion
- Presentation: Social enterprises, using big data for the public good within a large organization
- Split up into groups, design a way to use big data for public good (social enterprise)
- Parameters/Requirements
- groups of 3 or 4
- each group can either be a for-profit or a not-for-profit (or nonprofit) organization
- define:
- company’s main purpose or goal
- company’s social good initiative
- how the company will use big data to achieve that social good
- how the company will obtain that big data (where is the data coming from? who is obtaining it? is it free?)
- if a for-profit organization, how the company will remain profitable
- if a not-for-profit or nonprofit organization, how the company will remain in operation
- discuss whether or not people would be OK with the ways that each “business” obtains and uses their data; what aspects of each business are strong or weak
- brief discussion about resources for social entrepreneurs: UNC Social Business Competition; NCSU Entrepreneurship Initiative; many others
- Parameters/Requirements
- Conclusion
Presentation Slides
Link to Google Slides Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DWnBerokGfPBWqJwOsfBtnKSZs5WJR0OyTEhGFveFCg/edit?usp=sharing