The Internet of Things is a topic that is only ever growing in importance as our world looks to technology more and more. From your smartphone to your Apple Watch to your wi-fi capable washing machine, most to all of your technology is related to The Internet of Things. As Forbes describes it, The Internet of Things (or IoT for short) “is the concept of basically connecting any device with an on and off switch to the Internet (and/or to each other)” (Morgan). It exists as a network with a wide variety of devices interacting with each other. As we move forward this network is only going to grow and become increasingly more important to our day to day lives.
Though many of us have not heard of the IoT, it is nowhere near a new concept. The actual wording of “The Internet of Things” has been in existence for only 22 years, but that is not where it began. In reality the concept of the IoT has been around since at least the 70’s. The IoT did take some times to catch on, but after a while people began to see the potential of a world connected in every way. By October 2013, there were projections that after just seven more years the IoT would have created a successful market that would be worth about $8.9 trillion. (Lueth)
However, not everyone is sold on the idea of the IoT. Many people wonder why everything has to be connected to one another and what it is truly being used for. The answer is simple: innovation. There were people who asked why our phones needed internet access when we had computers and people who asked why cars needed seatbelts in the back when they’d gotten along so far without them. Just because we have lived one way for a long time does not mean an improvement cannot be made. Even when these improvements seem unnecessary like wi-fi washer machines, they are paving the way for advancements we can’t even imagine. According to WIRED, “[o]ne study estimates 35 per cent of US manufacturers are using data from smart sensors within their set-ups already” (Burgess).There is no telling where the IoT will take us, but just because we cannot imagine that does not mean it has no value. Apart from questioning its purpose, people also have genuines concerns about the IoT. These concerns surrounding the IoT mostly involve the security of its users. These security problems stem from part of the IoT such as data sharing, lack of encryption, side channel attacks, and more (Mansuri). It is necessary for these concerns to be faced, but they do not devalue the IoT. The IoT is the future despite its flaws, and hopefully this generation will get to see what it becomes.
Works Cited
Burgess, Matt. “What is the Internet of Things? WIRED explains.” WIRED, 16 Feb. 2018, wired.co.uk/article/internet-of-things-what-is-explained-iot
Lueth, Knud Lasse. “Why the Internet of Things is called Internet of Things: Definition, history, disambiguation.” IoT-Analytics, 19 Dec. 2014, iot-analytics.com/internet-of-things- definition/
Mansuri, Shahid. “10 IoT security concerns to keep in mind before developing apps.” Peerbits, peerbits.com/blog/10-iot-security-concerns-to-keep-in-mind-before-developing-apps.html
Morgan, Jacob. “A Simple Explanation Of ‘The Internet Of Things.’” Forbes, 13 May 2014, forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2014/05/13/simple-explanation-internet-things-that-anyone-can-understand/#1e6133551d09
The Internet of Things 