Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz's Everybody Lies uses internet search data to show how we really behave and what we really think — rather than what we tell researchers or surveyors. The book is an interesting study of our revealed preferences, however it is too anecdotal and Stephens-Davidowitz too often settles for first-level insights into the data. He is also sometimes too credulous, drawing conclusions that are not fully supported by the examples he cites. Of course, the book is intended to be more of a high-level survey rather than a rigorous analysis — the use of the catchword “Big Data” in the title is a clue that Stephens-Davidowitz is not targeting the most intellectually discerning audience — so this is hardly a fatal flaw. And it is a useful introduction to a very promising field, one that will likely yield rich insights given the growing ability to inexpensively analyze and synthesize digital information.