I have heard it said that data is the new oil. I suppose they say this because they mine it in a raw form, then try to process and make a ton of money off of it. But I kind of think that this is a flash in the pan occurrence. Instead, I think that the near future will show that data is the new fire; just as deadly, in a miriad of different ways, as it is helpful.

Imagine the learning curve back in the time when our ancestors first corralled fire. Starting fires in the wrong caves causing suffocation and asphyxiation, and accidentally causing large forest fires that simply burned everyone up. Many must have died, and even more singed and traumatized. Over time, as our ancestors learned and adapted, they were able to use fire more and more as a tool and a weapon. (With many deaths and injuries at every step.) We are seeing the same kind of learning curve with data.

Today, we are in the early stages when data is still wild. Companies and governments are collecting so much data they are drowning in it. They have no idea how to separate good data from bad data and cultivate it, but they are learning. The public is learning too, although not everyone and not nearly as fast.

I see five responses to the idea of our data being collected and used:

1. Do Nothing. These people will follow the pack without thought. Their data will be collected, bought, and sold. How they fair from this will not be up to them. From their perspective, their lives will be up to chance.
2. Migrate (flight). These people will make every effort to avoid all technology that might collect data. Given the ubiquitous nature of data in our current world, this can be considered willful ignorance.
3. Compete (fight). These people will fight the system with encryption and firewalls. They will live their lives in constant competition for privacy with the unseen agents of the internet.
4. Adapt. These people will change their own behaviors to better suit the data collection world. Their goal is to make choices that improve how the data and algorithms help them work and live.
5. Create. These people will see an opportunity in the system to leave a data legacy. By using all the previous methods consciously, they will build a profile of themselves that will be part truth and part lie, to create a myth that will effect the system in a way that endures for generations. (Like building a pyramid.)