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Everybody Lies

Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are
Oct 19, 2017writermala rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
"Everybody Lies" by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz is not just a provocative title. Granted that is what lured me to pick it up but the introduction and very first chapter, "Your faulty Gut," hooked me. Seth is a data scientist to the core and he talks passionately about his craft or should i say Art? The premise of the book is that all humans lie or twist the truth in such a way as to make themselves look better - unless they are surfing the internet. It is these clicks that data scientists study to find truths. Perhaps the area were we lie the most is about our sexuality and our sexual proclivities. Thus the author spends a good bit of his chapter "Digital Truth Serum" examining this area and comes out with surprising realities. As the author states in his acknowledgement a professor asked him what his mother thought of the work he did; because of his work on taboo subjects. However, his mother taught him that he should follow his curiosity no matter where it led. Stephens-Davidowitz compared the number of people who read the beginning of a book to those who read the end. Well, Seth I read not only your conclusion but your acknowledgement too. And yes, if the sequel comes out, "Everybody 'still' lies," you have one confirmed reader.