Big data provides a new way to study human behavior and interactions between people on a large scale. However, analyzing and interpreting big data is complicated by the fact that it can't be collected with the same precision as small data. A new study published in the journal Science Policy Forum uses Google Flu Trends (GoogleFluTrends, GFT) as an example to explain why big data analytics can deviate from the truth, and suggests some things to think about in the context of the big data era. Google has found that certain search terms can be good indicators of the current state of the flu epidemic.