On Big Data’s shrinking returns

In my new Guardian column, I point out that the big-data-driven surveillance business model is on the rocks.

Once upon a time, you could sell soap with a slogan like “You will be clean,” but we become resistant to ads. While Big Data initially generated some promising sell-through results, these days, companies like Facebook are relying on non-surveillance techniques for their growth.

Remember when Xynga’s “social games” like Farmville seemed to colonise the limbic systems of everyone yo...