The average person today is about as naive as was the average person in the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, people believed in the authority of their religion, no matter what. Today, we believe in the authority of our science, no matter what.

Neil Postman

We believe in data because it is the only objective fact we can hold on to. We count website visitors, conversion rates, click behaviours, heatmaps and how many people went through our sales funnels. The problem is that algorithms treat data as unbiased fact and we believe in the scientific objectivity of our algorithms' results. We no longer interpret data, we see it as unbiased and untouchable.

We believe in data because we think it's objective and will give us the full point of view. But we're past the point of just experimenting. Our technologies have real implications and become the foundation of our world and our businesses. We expect the computer to take over our thinking, willing and judging mind, which of course is doomed to fail.

Data is great to analyze & optimize specific processes, specific domains. But if we keep seeing data as the only truth we miss out on the big picture and forget about what really counts – building and maintaining a relationship with our clients.