Throughout history, people have tried to interpret the meaning of dreams and researches have used quantitative methods to understand the statistically recurring patterns to determine that dreaming is not random, but a coherent and sophisticated way of psychological functioning. With recent technological advancements, researchers have learned that artists are more likely to have nightmares, children dream more of animals than adults, and younger adults have more self-awareness in their dreams than older adults. Of course this data was derived by information voluntarily given in studies, but enough data has been mined to now create certain profiles allowing predictive analysis.
In one study, dream researcher Kelly Bulkeley was able to correctly guess what type of job participants had, whether or not they were a pet owner, if they had an active sex life, if they were a student, or if they were an athlete. All of this was accomplished simply by receiving electronic files of dream reports sent to her from a third party that were uploaded to a data mining programs analyzing patterns in perceptions, emotions, characters among other attributes of dreams. When compared against a database of statistical profiles, the researcher was able to make inferences about the person’s activities concerns, activities and relationships in waking life with nothing more than a little bit of information about their dream.
While I seriously doubt advertisers will be broadcasting subliminal messages into our dreams enticing us to run out and buy a pair of LightSpeed Briefs anytime soon, the predictive analysis database is growing. Imagine the implications of reverse engineering the process to statistically know what a person dreams of based on a few observational characteristics. This could be a gold mine for companies looking for the competitive advantage to selectively target customers.
BULKELEY, KELLY.
"Data-Mining Our Dreams." New York Times Online. N.p., 18 Oct.
2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/opinion/sunday/data-mining-our-dreams.html?_r=0. 5 Nov. 2013.
It’s really impressive that with just very basic information extracted from a person’s dreams one can actually determine with accuracy occupation, position and even a person’s life style. I think data mining will unveil many hidden secrets in raw data that cannot be easily spotted with more traditional methods. Very interesting post!!!
ReplyDeleteAgreed Miguel this was an interesting take on data mining. Who knew dreams could be used to determine consumer behavior? I for one am excited to see what data mining will uncover in the future.
DeleteI have often wondered about dreams. It is fascinating to hear about the research performed and the outcome of the studies. Imagine what impact that sort of information could potentially have if it were easily available to companies around the world. I wonder how many studies have actually been performed on dreams...and how accurate the information really is. Although the interpretation of dreams really is not up to us, it is interesting to see that patterns can be seen and guesses can be made concerning people's lifestyles. Intriguing post!
ReplyDeleteBethany, thank you for your comment. I agree, it would interesting to see how many studies have been performed using data mining on dreams, as well as percentage of accuracy. Also, how are they actually mining the dreams themselves? Are you hooked up to some machine in a lab? Still, overall, it is interesting to learn about the progressing uses for data mining.
DeleteThe concept of dreams themselves are a very fascinating topic. I almost never remember any of my dreams so it would be interesting to see what data mining would be able to find. This looks to be a great opportunity for the field of market research and I can't wait to see how far the future of data mining can take us.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting knowing what you dreamed when you do not remember, but would it not be weird having that information sold to businesses to better market to you? Those are your dreams and the information from them is being sold. I don't see how anyone could promote this.
DeleteIt's true when they say us young adults dream of self-awareness because I always have those! Data and technology is becoming so advanced that it's becoming so much easier to research and store data nowadays for comparison and relevance.
ReplyDeleteTiffany, thank you for your post. I don't know if I have self-awareness dreams as much as fear of sleeping through a final! Overall I think it is great to see the progress data mining is making.
DeleteI believe our dreams are just a restructuring of various occurrences in our everyday life, our fears, our inspirations or fantasies. So its not surprising to me that so much information could be interpreted about an individual from just analyzing their dreams. But I do find it very intriguing that companies are now looking at our dreams as a way of obtaining data about us so they can market products to us. Interesting!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing Latosha. Even without data mining the individual's brains, we could have possibly figured this out. I have had many very vivid dreams of me on the job. Some may have been stressful situations and some may have not made sense, but if I told you the content you would know my occupation. Moving on, I think this is going too far and these are private thoughts that cannot be controlled by the victim while they are sleeping and should not be used for marketing purposes or shared publicly without consent first.
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DeleteI found your posting to be very interesting. I was surprised to see that data mining has been applied to understanding dreams. I found most of the information to be relevant, such as young adults dreaming about self awareness. I would love to hear further information on this topic.
ReplyDeleteI do not think we are providing any further information on this topic this semester. However, you can find great resources at the bottom of this blog and others we have posted as well. Thank you for your comment.
DeleteThis is some crazy stuff right here, but this day and age is coming one day. Our generation may not live to see the full effects but it will happen. As we progressively advance from data mining through social media, shopping, internet browsing, the only other place we can go is inside your head, lol.
ReplyDeleteAs fast as technology is evolving, I think we will see a lot more of this "crazy stuff right here." I can't get used to one thing before something new comes out. I can't keep up with all the changes from seeing mobile phones come around, to smart phones, now they are literally getting in our thoughts. I think it has gone way too far way too fast, and our tortoise-like Congress cannot keep up with the necessary laws to protect us. So I agree Cedron, "this is some crazy stuff."
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