Page 111 - Carbon Capitalism and Communication Confronting Climate Crisis

98 V. MOSCO

incidents of big data failures, on such projects as seasonal flu forecasting
and building models for economic development, are mounting, as are the
opportunities to make mischief with data for profit (Mosco 2014). One has
to look no further than the 2016 US presidential election when big data
analysis not only failed to forecast the outcome. It may also have shaped the
result because it produced flawed algorithms that led the Hillary Clinton
camp to take an overly cautious approach because it believed data sug-
gesting she was the clear leader and likely winner, what amounted to a
massive case of what Gandy would appreciate as a panoptic missort.
Nevertheless, for simple questions such as what are the likes and dislikes of
every conceivable demographic cohort or for drawing conclusions about
users based on their friendship and follower networks, the massively large
stores of data available for analysis in the digital factories that make up the
cloud, offer major incentives for companies and governments to invest in
data centres and in big data analysis. It is reasonable to be concerned that
singular reliance on big data in research is paving the way for what might
best be called digital positivism, a methodological essentialism that ignores
history, theory and subjectivity.
The cloud and big data are enhanced substantially by the growth of the
Internet of Things. From watches that monitor blood pressure to refrig-
erators that order fresh milk, from assembly lines “manned” by robots to
drones that deliver weapons, it promises a profound impact on individuals
and society. The Internet of Things refers to a system that installs sensors
and processing devices into everyday objects (watches), production tools
(robotic arms) and armaments (weaponised drones) and connects them in
networks that gather and use data on their performance. The sensors in a
refrigerator form a network of things that report on what’s inside and how
it is used. The Internet of Things is made possible by advances in the ability
to miniaturize scanning devices and provide them with sufficient processing
power to monitor activity, analyze usage and deliver results over electronic
networks (Greengard 2015).
A 2015 report from the private think tank McKinsey concluded that by
2025 the Internet of Things will have an economic impact of between $3.9
and $11.1 trillion (US) which, at the high end, is over 10% of the world
economy (Manyika et al. 2015). Significantly, it is the manufacturing
sector, and especially General Electric, that leads the way as machine
production and opportunities for operational surveillance enable more
tightly managed and efficient factories and global supply chains. But these
will also extend, McKinsey maintains, to offices, retail operations, the