Day 5 Reflection
The Internet of Things (IOT) is a fascinating concept that seems so futuristic, but is truly right around the corner. The IOT will begin to control our lives, as all of our objects will be communicating with each other and create one network that will almost control our lives. There are many positives for the IOT as it will make our lives much more convenient, save us time and money, and increase our safety (will it? I will get to that later)? Yet, there are also many things that concern me about the IOT. First, I believe the IOT will make us very one dimensional people. Our lives will be so programmed that we will have a very difficult time straying away from our regular routine to try anything new. No longer will we have ample opportunity for our unique human experiences, such as a long drive on the countryside, or a camping trip without having little machines do everything for us. I mean it is pretty cool that a sensor can turn on your workstation after you park your car so that you are ready for work upon arrival. But is it so cool that these sensors and this networks knows your whereabouts all the time? Do you feel like a person still? Or do you feel controlled?
Is there a point in which we will lose our uniqueness as humans if machines continue to take over our entire lives?
I believe that will be a part of our discussion next week, and I cannot wait to see what ideas our classroom has on this topic. To me, it is quite scary and I am excited to discuss the future.
As I discussed earlier safety and security is a huge controversy in the IOT. One thought I shared in discussion was the safety of our information on the web currently. Personally, I am never worried that Venmo will steal my credit card information, or that Charles Schwab will steal all the money that I have invested in the market, or that some hacker will hack my online banking at Bank of America. Now that I think about it….why aren’t I scared? Why aren’t I scared that someone will steal my identity online after I type in my social security number to apply for a job? My answer was simple: It is because I trust these online sources and I trust them with my information. But still, why do I trust them? For that, I have no answer.
As technology improves and these sensors start to pick up even more information about us, should we start to fear even more about our privacy, and furthermore our safety. How can we trust that the camera in our house will not be hacked? How can we trust that entire network of sensors that is tracking our every movement and planning our every activity won’t be hacked? As technology improves, so will the technology of hackers, and to me that is scary. I already feel like the Internet knows way too much about me with targeted adds, and all the information that I have posted on the web. With my new understanding of the Internet of things, I have realized that this is only the beginning. Soon, so much of our information will be on networks supposedly for our benefit. But will it be beneficial. To that I say: Only time will tell.
I hope you enjoyed this weeks version of Hollenberg’s Thoughts. Stay tuned for more!
One more thing….BRADY IS BACK!!!!!!!!
Mike Smith
October 11, 2016 @ 6:42 pm
I hope you’re loving this new week’s reading! It plays right into your comments this week.
On privacy, I encourage you to think about what is the same and what is different between hacking the camera in your house to watch you and having someone sit outside your house and watch you through the window. And how does the tracking of your movements (say around a mall or on the state’s highways) change when networks of sensors are deployed (or in the case of highways, have been deployed) versus the old-fashioned way of just having you followed?