The Hype of Big Data Revisited: It’s About Extracting Value

Over a year ago, I tested the claim that Big Data was the most hyped technology ever. Using Google Trends, I compared the term "Big Data" with "Web 2.0" and "cloud computing". It turned out that the Web 2.0 and cloud computing were more hyped than Big Data (as measured by number of searches on the topics). At the time, however, Big Data was on an upward trajectory. So, I re-ran the comparison to see the current status.

As of the end of February 2016, the number of searches for Big Data appear to have leveled off during 2015, ending that year with roughly the same search score it had when the year started. Web 2.0, at its height, had more than double the searches than Big Data has ever had. Even cloud computing had more searches than Big Data.

In between 2013 and 2014, Big Data reached the Peak of Inflated Expectations in Gartner's Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies. By mid 2014, Big Data was sliding into the Trough of Disillusionment, and by 2015, the term was removed from the hype cycle altogether. Big Data, after all, is less of a technology and more of a phenomenon that reflects the quantification (call it datafication if you want) of everything.;