This work earned me the award as Best High School Thesis, and after all the work I am very satisfied with it! Below you will find the introduction to the thesis.

Already the title “Big Data, Big Brother, Big Fear” could be enigmatic. I chose to combine these three terms because I liked the idea of ​​creating a sort of thread that connected these words, at first sight so distant from each other. The order in which they are reported is causal. In fact, according to the approach of my Maturity Work, the first is the cause of the second; just as the second term is - or could be - the cause of the next one. Furthermore, these three words are able to summarize the issues I have addressed very well.

Prior to the choice of the theme of my work, comparing myself with some of the issues dealt with in the thesis of recent years, I had set myself the goal of concentrating my research in a fairly technological field, so as to deepen my knowledge in the branch of information technology and of technology. In fact, I am passionate about computer science and, also thanks to the myriad of information that I came to know by carrying out my research, I was able to expand my horizons and will probably embark on a professional career based on this new digital dimension.

In search of a topic related to information technology that could in some way arouse fear in people, I stumbled upon this one of Big Data and Data Science. I had already heard about it, especially about the continuous information we release on the net without even realizing it. These dynamics were always accompanied by a negative aura. I therefore had the opportunity to deal more directly with this area, which I had already heard whispered about, by participating in targeted activities during the self-managed days organized by the Liceo Cantonale di Bellinzona, as well as during the annual day dedicated to technology. I also remember attending a conference focused exclusively on Big Data, held by Professor Antonietta Mira, who I also then had the opportunity to interview.

Faced with the vastness of this - for me - new world I found myself small, very small; and I was amazed at how much it is still an integral part of our lives today, without us noticing it. Comparing with peers and family members about doubts and perplexities that swirled in my head regarding my choice, I realized how ignorant they were on this issue. Discovering the great ignorance of society - which I was able to probe with my questionnaire - in the face of these dynamics, I also set myself the goal of raising awareness of this new dimension of Big Data, illustrating the fears it arouses but even the immense horizons it is capable of opening. Working on this “Big Data, Big Brother, Big Fear” thesis I found myself catapulted into a new dimension of which, a priori, I knew very little.