Due to Big Data, social media companies know about you more than you can imagine now.
Big Data is the digital traces we leave both online and offline such as what we search through Google, what we purchase with our credit cards, what movements we make while our phone is in the pocket, what we click “Like” at in Facebook, what kind of profile photos we post, etc.
Psychometrics is a new branch of psychology utilizing Big Data. In 2012, one of the researches proved that it could predict one’s skin color (95% accuracy), sexual orientation (88% accuracy), affiliation to the Democratic or Republic party (85%) based on 68 Facebook “likes” by a user. Now they say that it can search people for specific profiles such as all anxious fathers, all angry introverts, all undecided Democrats, etc. and show them customized messages.
This application has already brought a huge impact on the Presidential Election 2016 by the London based data analysis company, Cambridge Analytica. (Cambridge Analytica also influenced Brexit.)
Data Analysts say that all the activities that we make in the social media and on the smartphone are our answers to the psychological questionnaire in order for them to analyze each of us. Now they can predict what choices we will make and they know how to influence our decisions. They might know about you better than you know yourself and they even know how to influence your life as they intend.
I believe this is just beginning of utilizing Digital Data and we cannot stop this trend. I believe that our thoughts, emotional patterns, beliefs, personalities and all personal traits will not be hidden anymore. People will transparently see, know and understand each other’s personalities and traits.
Originally it was the purpose of meditation or self-reflection. We meditate to know who I AM and find out what to DO. As we are exposed to the social media more and more, we are asked to explore inside and to more actively “Know Myself”. It’s time to meditate to claim the sovereignty in our life.
Many people asked me how to meditate. Actually, you can find so many methods for the meditation but meditation is not a technique. It’s actually the “Science of Being & Art of Living” as Maharishi had taught. If I give you a simple guide, it will be like this.
Meditation is watching inside as if looking in the mirror. This mirror is like a surface of the lake. If we are not used to meditating, we can see only mental or emotional turmoil on the surface at the beginning. No worries! That’s very normal.
If you are a beginner, just set your alarm for 5 minutes and quietly wait until the surface becomes quite. You may feel like you are not doing anything while you wait, but actually, at that moment, your sub-consciousness starts to work on something that your external consciousness cannot handle. If you practice meditation for a few weeks, you will notice some changes such as more balance, clarity or grounding in your life.
If you are experienced, throw your intention into the lake and preview your day in the morning. You can meditate just for 10 minutes but you will create your whole day much more meaningful. In the evening, review your day quickly through the mirror on the lake and harvest all your awakening. Through the practice, your introspection will be much deeper and mature. Also, your evening meditation will continue through your sleep and dream, which will give you even more clarity for the new day.
Meditation will guide you to meet your whole being and to know who you are and what to do. We need to be more mindful on choosing our thoughts, emotions, and actions, especially in these days. If we don’t know how to claim our sovereignty in our life and follow just old habits, then someone else will start to influence our choices and to manipulate our life in a quicker and more direct way than before.
As technologies are advancing, meditation is not regarded as an accessory anymore. It’s a required Art of Living. Why don’t you try to experience the real changes from meditation!?
