Clustering Without Amnesia: Why Abstraction Keeps Fighting Representation
A customer database looks harmless until someone asks for “natural segments.” Then the ritual begins. Export the data. Pick a clustering algorithm. Reduce the dimensions. Make a pretty 2D plot. Give each blob a name. “Premium convenience buyers.” “Budget explorers.” “Dormant loyalists.” Everyone nods, because blobs are comforting. Business strategy has survived on worse. ...