Big Data: Ideology vs. Enlightenment

“Big Data” is a technological term with a seemingly cognitive connotation that masks an ideological orientation of those attempting to be benevolently, criminally of even “innocently” in control of our knowledge and subsequent actions. Without an epistemological foundation “small” and especially “big” data are a myth. When “the truth” becomes “what’s on a digital screen” under the control of those in charge of “the cloud” we are clouding our cultural heritage voluntarily to an extent that exposes us to the whims of those screening and displaying our data even in so-called “post-truth” fashion.Subsequent information and knowledge cannot be critically and rationally assessed for lack of evidence. All lessons learned during the last four centuries of enlightening efforts seem to be forgotten or ignored by us. Our preference for “cognitive ease” can be easily abused by those in control of modern information technology. We remain in “self-imposed immaturity” (Kant) while they can act primarily for their own economic, political, and social benefits and may even feel “justified” by the big-data-ideology.Knowledge must remain relevant to, testable and rationally believable by the legitimate recipients of any public data and information. An enlightened framework for data governance is overdue in the “digital big data age!”