SMARTER LIVING: The implications of smart cities and living in a digitalised society
Introduction
There is no doubt that as technology advances, so does our way of living. One significant way in which this has been done is through the development of smart cities. Technopedia provides an excellent definition of this technological phenomenon describing a smart city as ‘a designation given to a city that incorporates information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance the quality and performance of urban services’.
Smart cities have been developed to improve how cities function, using technology to heighten the performance of energy, transportation and other urban utilities as a way to control excessive resource consumption and overall costs of living. Smart cities aim to improve the quality of living for its citizens through smart technology (Technopedia), placing particular emphasis on six interconnected areas: society, quality of life, environment, government, economy and mobility. This blog post will be exploring the uses and implications of smart cities and a digitalised world, is the current direction of technological advances doing more harm or good?
What do smart cities do?
As mentioned, smart cities play an important role in society through smart technology, but what exactly is smart technology? Well, the term ‘smart’ originally comes from the acronym ‘self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology’. This technology is also commonly referred to as ‘smart’ because of its ability to communicate and work with numerous other networked technologies, and its ability to allow automated functionality, as well as remote accessibility from anywhere. As fellow student Anna Dawson mentions, smart cities ‘utilises Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies to enhance the performance and accessibility of urban services, while also increasing the quality of life, as well as controlling the consumption of energy. All in all, smart cities seem to enhance everything we’d want to enhance while minimising what must be minimised; overconsumption of resources, as well as maintaining their efficiency. Indeed, this implementation of smart technology in communities has been shown to be the key to a city’s success, with the majority of people inhabiting cities (54.6%), it is important that the quality of life of these people is up to standards; something that smart technology and smart cities as a whole can help with.
What are their benefits?
As with many other technological advances, the concept of smart cities is a topic of much debate, however, it is worth acknowledging the many arguments in favour of smart cities.
Improved efficiency: As mentioned, the main aim of smart cities is to optimise the accessibility of resources such as energy, transportation and waste management, while also controlling the consumption of these. This has been shown to aid in cost savings, reduced environmental impact and improved service delivery.
Better quality of life: Using technology to improve day-to-day resources such as energy and transportation raises no question about the benefits that this provides for citizens of smart cities. Smart cities improve the overall quality of life by enhancing public safety, healthcare and many other essential services. For instance, smart traffic management such as satnav apps helps reduce congestion and commute times, leading to less stress for citizens. Smart cities also minimise carbon emissions and create a more environmentally stable environment in smart cities by implementing energy-efficient business tools and developing small-scale renewable energy, as cities have been known to impact climate change negatively through excessive carbon emissions. Smart cities have been able to push for more environmentally stable lifestyles by focusing on sustainable practices such as renewable energy resources and smart grid systems.
Economic growth: Smart cities provide a supportive environment for economic innovation thanks to a supportive environment for technology companies and start-ups. Smart companies act as a predictor of technological advancements, which appeals to numerous companies and businesses. Thanks to this appeal, smart cities aid in job creation, economic growth, the development of new industries and even tourist attractions! I mean seriously, just take a look at how Singapore has advanced:
Challenges?
While smart cities are able to provide day-to-day benefits to its citizens such as educational services and programmes that have been digitally suited to each individual, we must face the fact that such phenomena have been accessible to the wider public due to, arguably, breaches of our privacy and security.
Indeed, concerns have been raised regarding how much smart cities rely on collecting and analysing vast amounts of data. This has made people wonder why so much information is required of them, and if all this data is used solely for enhancing people’s quality of life and digital experiences. More notably, living in such a technologically advanced world as we do now, can result in an over-dependence on technology. For instance, in the event of system failures, viruses, power outages and cyber-attacks, we must consider the extent to which this would disrupt a city and given this reliance on technology, is it worth it?
Summary:
Picture this: You catch yourself contemplating purchasing a new garden table for your patio. You reach out to your phone to view your search history with numerous design ideas that interest you for this new garden project you are working on. Later, you notice adverts start showing up on your Instagram feed, even on Facebook. Now, many would take this as a coincidence, but the reality is that the ‘cookies’ we are so quick to accept enable your online activity and innocent web surfing to be tracked, causing adverts to show up on other feeds and websites that are specifically targeting your interests and previous search history. Yes, this is handy, however, it makes you think:
What more information is being tracked? Do we even have any privacy in this day and age, with so much of our online activity being tracked for however many reasons? How much data collection is required, is this truly the cost of living in a constantly advancing technological world?
These are the questions I believe we should all be asking ourselves. I agree that smart technology and everything that has come from it has completely revolutionised how we interact with each other, our work and day to day lives. But we must consider: is it all worth it?
Ultimately, whether we need smart cities or not depends on the specific context and goals of a city or urban area. Nonetheless, we must weigh up the benefits and potential challenges of smart cities to create an inclusive and sustainable environment where all citizens’ needs are met.
Self-reflection:
Studying ‘Digital Society’ this semester has certainly shifted the way I view technological advancements and our current society. Before commencing the course, I already had an inkling that this would be the case, given my previous interest in the media and having frequent conversations with my friends about the implications of not only a highly digital world but also the fact that it is constantly changing. I believe it is worth noting the fact that there are constantly new technological advancements being introduced to us, this frequent exposure to technology helps normalise the majority to a new ‘norm’: a digital society.
I particularly enjoyed learning about smart cities and online ethics, I find these are subjects that are frequently discussed, rightly so. How can we ignore something that is happening all around us? I found myself thinking back to everything I have learnt from this module recently when a new AI feature was introduced on Snapchat. My friends and I were intrigued that a computer-generated ‘person’ was now on our screens, with no consent from us, at our service to answer essentially any question we had. This AI even offered emotional support and advice, which was a bittersweet experience for me. Yes, it is mind-blowing how much technology has advanced in recent years, and that I could come to this artificially generated chat and have a full conversation with it, at times it was nice and quite fascinating. However, it made me feel a bit uneasy, I found myself thinking back to the course content about online ethics and our data.
My friends and I discussed this for hours, in awe that such an advanced example of today’s technology could be applied to an app used by millions of young people. Could technological advancements have minds of their own at some point, smarter than human beings? These are the questions I ask myself now that I would not think twice about prior to studying Digital Society. As this module is now coming to an end, I can reflect on what I have learned and how this information has shaped a new view of our own digital society and technological advancements. Notably, so, I have had more experience in writing blogs in the duration of the module than in my entire academic life, which I think is an extremely useful skill. I’ve learnt to enjoy this style of writing more than ever, and it is a skill I will hopefully continue to pursue and improve on throughout my academic life and career.
Overall, I have learnt many new things about our digitalised world thanks to this module. I believe technology plays a role in every career path I choose to take, and I am grateful I had the opportunity to study this further when I did, as now have a different outlook on technology and the implications that living in a digital world has. I feel I have learnt much more about the benefits of digital society, as well as the risks that may follow. I hope to use my knowledge in the future, maybe even making social media apps safer for everyone, and further implementing online ethics to provide a safer and happier online life for all.
