What Is Data Science?

As a relatively new term, "data science" can mean different things to different people due in part to all the hype surrounding the field. Often used in the same breath, we also hear a lot about "big data" and how it is changing the way that companies interact with their customers. This begs the question -- how are these two technologies related? Unfortunately, the hype often masks reality and worsens the Signal-to-noise ratio when it comes to our increasingly data-driven society. Rest assured, there truly is something deep and profound representing a paradigm shift in our society surrounding data, but the hype isn't helping to clarify data science's exact role in Big Data.