Datafication Explained

Datafication is a technological trend turning many aspects of our life into data,^{[1] [2]} which is then converted into information, thereby manifesting as a new form of value.^[3] This concept was introduced to the broader lexicon in 2013 by Kenneth Cukier and Viktor Mayer-Schönberger.^[4] Prior to this, datafication had been predominantly associated with the analysis of representations of our lives captured through data, but not on the present scale. This transformation can be attributed to the impact of big data and the computational opportunities afforded to predictive analytics.

Datafication is not the same as digitization, which takes analog content—books, films, photographs—and converts it into digital information, a sequence of ones and zeros that computers can read. Datafication is a far broader activity: taking all aspects of life and turning them into data [...] Once we datafy things, we can transform their purpose and turn the information into new forms of value

Ideology

Datafication has an ideological aspect, called dataism:

Examples

Datafication is often applied to social and communication media. Some examples include how Twitter datafies stray thoughts, as well as datafication of HR by LinkedIn and others.

Other examples include aspects of the build environment, and design via engineering and or other tools that tie data to formal, functional, or other physical media outcomes. Data collection and processing for optimal control (e.g., shape optimization) is another example.

Impact

Health care:The datafication of health occurs at various levels and in different areas, including:^[5]

• Data-driven medical research and public health infrastructures, such as biobanks and government databases;
• Clinical healthcare, including continuous patient monitoring, implantable biosensors, internet-based doctor-patient communication and personalised or 'precision' medicine, collectively described as digital health, eHealth, mHealth, or Health 2.0;
• Self-care practices, including direct-to-consumer genetic and microbiome testing websites, health-related peer-to-peer social media and a wide range of wearable fitness and health devices and smartphone apps.

Human resources