Embarking on a research project
At the time of writing this, I’m two months into my PhD journey so I figured it was time to actually start documenting my progress in a form other than pure academic writing. My secret hope is that starting to document in a public forum will act a motivation for me to keep things moving regularly. One can always hope.
What is the Internet of Things?
We’re currently hearing a lot about the Internet of Things — this amazing world where everyday devices (like toasters, fridges, cars, and thermostats) are going to collect and share information about us.
Now, this doesn’t actually make a lot of sense. What does it really do? Nest is really good example of IoT technology in a practical application.
To get a feel for what this might be like in a wider connected world, Disney have created “Magic Bands” which are your key to everything whilst at Disneyland and in the resort. Plus, they do a while lot more.
This review by Wired Magazine provides more insight into what Magic Band does for you.
Issues with a Connected World
At first glance, living in a connected world may seem awesome. However, there is a down side. An IoT world means there could be a massive amount of data being collected about us, stored somewhere and then available for someone to use. This data could include information such as: Store loyalty cards and credit cards collecting information about our spending habits; Automatic Toll machines and Public Transport cards result in systems recording where we have been and when; and then there are sensors that track our heart rate and sleep patterns.
As the IoT is relatively new and the systems are not so integrated into our world at the moment, it’s difficult to know exactly what these concerns might be. The closest technology we have experienced so far is ubiquitous computing, which is:
… the age of calm technology, when technology recedes into the background of our lives. (Mark Weiser … more)
Understandably, we have expressed a number of concerns when living in a world like this. These concerns may be around information privacy — the fact that there is a large amount of data now available that can be connected to us: Is it correct? How is it going to be used? Who is actually using it?
But the concerns extend beyond this, into concerns that are more “human” or “sociotechnical”. One concern that is often expressed is the sense of “being tracked” and the information being used for a purpose that we’re not aware of. Another is that small bits of data that, by themselves, are innocuous maybe aggregated to form a different picture of me that could be more “useful” to someone.
Even further than these are concerns about reputation management (“how am I being presented in the virtual world”); reduced judgment in decision making (“machines are making decisions where human judgment is needed”); and how people choose to consent or withdraw consent from participating in these systems.
My Research
I want to find out about the “human concerns” that we experience when living with IoT technology and then see if there are particular design features that might help to address, or at least reduce, these concerns.
