Don’t Confuse Noise with Data
“Data is everything.”
We say it like a slogan. Over and over again.
But is it really?
I’ve been working in QA and data long enough to see what’s actually happening.
These days, collecting data feels like a goal in itself. The more we can store, the better we think we’re doing. We proudly say things like “big data” as if it’s something sacred.
Most of that data? It’s useless.
Just because something can be stored doesn’t make it valuable. We keep dumping everything into databases, thinking “we’ll need it someday.”
But what’s the point if we never use it? Never look at it? Never learn from it?
We treat every piece of information like gold. When in reality, a huge chunk of it is just digital noise.
So, what really counts as “Real” Data?
This is where I draw the line. There’s data… and then there’s what I call instrumental data.
The kind you can learn from. The kind that shows you what went wrong. The kind that helps you do better next time. The kind that actually drives progress.
It’s the data that has meaning. That tells a story. That gives direction. Maybe not useful today but definitely useful tomorrow.
Everything else? Just noise. And noise isn’t harmless. It takes up space. It hides the good stuff. It slows you down.