Presentation given by Dr. Emmanuel Tourpe (Head of TV Programs and VOD at RTBF) at the Big Data & Society conference held at RTBF on 13 Dec 2016

1. BIG CAPTA – LITTLE DATA
Emmanuel Tourpe
Director of TV and VOD Programming @ RTBF
Free University of Brussels-Université Catholique
de Louvain

2. 1. Introduction
2. The finite and the infinite
3. Words and things
4. From « mathesis universalis »
to a digital world
5. Man is not a monad
6. algorithms have no ideological
neutrality
7. Abandon behaviourist beliefs
8. Conclusion
AGENDA

3. • Ray Kurzweil : the “age of
singularity”  computer-
based unification
• Are we living in a matrix?
• We are living a breakaway
moment : post-modernity
• Rob Kitchin : Big Capta
1. INTRODUCTION

4. • Turing’s universal machine
• “the infinity of calculation
bears at its heart the stamp
of human finiteness”
2. THE FINITE IN THE INFINITE

5. • 5 limits :
1. The limits of computational
capacity
2. The limits of numerical reduction
of the analog, qualitative reality
of our behaviours
3. The limits of a reduction of man
to an individual closed in upon
themself, a prisoner of the past
4. The limits of “world views” that
govern the drawing up of
algorithms.
5. The limits of behaviourist models
behind recommendation
2. THE FINITE IN THE INFINITE
THE LIMITS OF BIG DATA

6. • capta represent only a
limited sub-set of the data
produced (Kitchin)
• verbalising = 7% of our
communication
• Don’t consider behavioural
figures in isolation and
singularly
3. WORDS AND THINGS

7. • Modernity founded on
– freedom = summit of the
human spirit
– computational power of
human reason can pierce all
secrets
• “A Mathematical Theory of
Communication” (Shannon,
1948)
4. FROM “MATHESIS UNIVERSALIS”
TO A DIGITAL WORLD

8. • A vast amount of reality is
lost when we digitise reality
• Big Data : from linking data
to tracking all human digital
activity
4. FROM “MATHESIS UNIVERSALIS”
TO A DIGITAL WORLD

9. • Monadology (Leibniz, 1714)
• Today’s rec sys : isolated
individual, locked into his past
• For Leibniz, monads have no
doors, no windows
• This is the essence of filter
bubbles
• Humans are made of
connections
5. MAN IS NOT A MONAD

10. • Algorithms entail a certain
view of the world (bias)
• Question for PSM : what
world do our algorithms
reflect?
• A charter of the values of our
algorithms is needed
6. ALGORITHMS HAVE NO
IDEOLOGICAL NEUTRALITY

11. • simplistic illusion = future
“customer” behaviour entirely
predictable and calculable on
the basis of past behaviours
• respect and encourage
freedom
7. ABANDON BEHAVIOURIST
BELIEFS

12. • “To think is to invent” (Michel
Serres)
• We must think philosophically
about the limits to the projects
we initiate
• We must not lose sight of the
limits of Big Data and
recommendation algorithms
• Big Data is only one tool
amongst many
8. CONCLUSION

13. • recommendation is one way
of connecting to audience
alongside 3 others :
– Search
– Semi-automated playlist
– Human editorialisation or
programming
CONCLUSION

14. THANK YOU
TIME FOR QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS