How Data Happened: A History from the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms

I bought this book after hearing the author on a fascinating podcast, talking about the material presented in the book. Much to my surprise, the book is a turgid read. It is semi-academic in that it misses no opportunity to name sources, and one loses sight of the wood for the trees. Disappointing, since it is a fascinating subject, and I wished the authors had told the story in their own voice.

I have read this book three times, given how imporrtant "data" and their associated technologies are for our lives today. The authors use accessible language (e.g.,not all jargon) and offer much information and commentary, but I wish they focused more on critical techniques rather than go into painstaking details on what often seem to be so many peripheral issues or concerns.Are we living in an information regime that relies on masses of data - as quantifiable, accessible, manipulable, and fungible - rather than good science? If so, why? And what are its costs. They may agree, and believe that in these 300 pages they have made the case. I cannot be sure, and feel lost among the aforementiond "trees." For example, I want to know more about the role(s) and importance of statistics today in data-based decision-making - probabilities, etc.