Why Data is Worth Its Weight in Gold (and Worth Protecting)

Nicely done! You’ve completed the first chapter. So far, you’ve learned about the relevance of data in business, society, and personal life, and hopefully, you can now see both possibilities and challenges that data presents in different areas.

We’ve explored the definition of data. In simple terms, data refers to “raw information” and values that are organised in a certain way. It can be stored, moved, and processed following certain rules so that it makes sense to whoever needs it.

We create data through our interactions with the world around us. Data can come from websites, social media, and apps, as well as from physical objects like smart coffee machines and light bulbs that are connected to the web and controlled through an app.

Sensors can provide us with data from buildings, roads, and industrial machines, and even inform us about how our own bodies are functioning. This kind of data can be seen as raw material that we use to adjust, improve, and update products and services (and lives).

You’ve learned about the life cycle of data, from its creation to collection, storage, processing, and finally, its transformation into valuable uses and insights.

We’ve seen how data has taken society on a journey; over the past 30 years, the world has changed completely. The Internet, smartphones, machine learning and artificial intelligence have turned upside down how we relate to reality. It is data that has steered this development, and it’s data that will take us into a future we can hardly imagine today.

Whether you realise it or not, you’re part of this journey. The more you understand about what data is and how it can be used, the better equipped you’ll be to actively participate in a society that’s becoming increasingly datafied.

So far, you’ve learned a lot about data. But how does all this work on a technical level? What are bits, bytes, and the binary system? And how do we use hardware, networks, protocols, and the cloud?

Let’s dive a bit deeper and get a little nerdy as we explore these concepts in the next chapter: Technology and Beyond.