It has now come to the closing of the semester, and the final blog post, (well second last, I seem to have missed one along the way, whoops!). And the topic on the agenda is the internet of things. What is this you ask? To be honest I wasn’t too sure either!
After doing some research it turns out the Internet of things means that someone is always watching always knowing your every move. If you ever think you are alone, think again, chances are a RFID tag is nearby and is tabbing that sneaking mars bar you thought you would chow down before you got home from work.
Personally, I don’t feel as though this is invading my privacy. There are already such arrays of surveillance technologies present that another one will simply be added to the list. Who knows, It might even be beneficial to know that two shops up from where I’m standing is only an update away from seeing me walk away with a new pair of heels, and a smile on my dile at the latest bargain.
But this being said what I DO have a problem with is the secrecy to which his is happening. And the little public knowledge let alone consent that has been granted. Although RDIF appears user friendly, is this simply hiding the vindictive technologies that sit below the surface? And I love a bargain as much as the next shopper, but just how much information should be allowed to be stored about me and my shopping habits?
As you can see, I’m still a little bit on the fence with this one. What do you guys think about the internet of things?
Like you, I'm also sitting on the fence. The idea that all of these inanimate objects could be watching and monitoring our every move scares me! It really reminded me of the whole panopticon notion - a building where an observer can potentially see everyone, but the people being observed cannot see the observer...confused? maybe just check out this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon
ReplyDeleteThe whole idea of the panopticon is that people adjust their actions because they know they are being observed - hence self regulation leading to conformity. You alluded to this in your blog and I too have the same fears about the use of RDIF devices in what we would have once called 'things'.
hey naomi
ReplyDeleteI think though with the internet of things it extands past location based services into RFID chips being implemented into various everyday objects such as an the carpet, the lounge, the playbox and the iron. The idea is that these objects will one day be on par with humans and be able to receive, store, transmit, and process information via the internet network.
I unlike you however am not sitting on the fence, and actually look really forward to see these applications emerge. However like all good things, there are bad things, so the negatives will need to be addressed before I would feel safe in interacting with other objects. Though it would however feel weird interacting with them on a social level :S
Personally, I'm really excited by the idea of the Internet of Things, and I'm looking forward to the emergence of the whole concept. However, I definitely agree with you. The secrecy and unknown is something is something to be concerned about, and needs to be adressed.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I wonder how we would act around objects if we knew they were monitoring us? I guess it's something to think about, particularly the panopticon notion Tegan has mentioned in her comment above.
I too am am on the fence about this concept at the moment. It's actually really interesting that technology has evolved to the point that things do speak and create a cyber-story about us without us even knowing, but I guess the latter of my sentence is where the problem really lies: "without us even knowing". It's not so much an invasion of privacy in this day and age, I mean if we ever had a problem with our privacy being invaded then we wouldn't check into our favorite restaurant, friend's house or even our bed on Face book.It will be interesting to see what's to come.
ReplyDeleteNaomi, throughout this semester we have thoroughly researched the implications of the Internet – from its ability to create an engaged politics, to the globalisation of culture, impact of citizen journalism, e-democracy, convergence culture… the list goes on. This week is the finale to this critical analysis of the World Wide Web, and I feel we are finishing this semester on quite a large note. “The Internet of Things” is such a heavy concept. I am so excited to see how technology is going to be revolutionising our lives. I have never really been worried about the surveillance culture that these technological developments are exercising. I can definitely understand why some people would be concerned, but whoever can see that I bought that mars bar on my way home from work… judge me if you will! I don’t see how anyone is going to find this information noteworthy or important. But on a broader scale, the collection and analysis on information will continue to create technologies to ease labour for the every day human, I say bring it on!
ReplyDeleteSecrecy. I definitely agree that there has been a large degree of secrecy surrounding the concept of the internet things. Until this week, I had never heard of this concept, let alone being aware of the capabilities of these emerging technologies.
ReplyDeleteNaomi, you are right when you say that we are being watched all the time as it, so implementation of these new technologies will not change the fact that we are being watched, it will how ever change who is watching us.
I think the success of the internet of things will depend on peoples awareness of the concept. If the internet of things is not explained clearly, I can potentially see people becoming panicked. The introduction of past technologies, such as the Internet, there has been a common theme of the new technology being evil.