In the past two years, many writers have started to say that "data is the new oil". A colleague of mine was saying this back in 2014, so, I had to revisit this idea. I "get it" in the most general way, that there's a huge push to use data, and to stake claims to the intellectual property, and the data, but I think the metaphor is too facile. Is it a useful metaphor? If so, how is it useful, and how can it mislead us?
I really don't know anything about the history of the oil business. I haven't even seen Giant all the way through, or watched an entire episode of The Beverly Hillbillies. When I'm faced with learning about a subject about which I can barely exude a whiff of enthusiasm, I turn to video documentaries and audiobooks.
Here is a short playlist of documentaries about the history of the oil business.