Blanket use of the term 'internet of things' appears to have rendered it all but meaningless. Its widespread use means people have no concrete idea of what it is. And research conducted recently in the US appears to confirm that.
The survey, conducted by ORC International, shows most respondents don't really know what the Internet of Things is – even those who class themselves as 'tech savvy'.
Why should we be surprised that a term being used at every opportunity is losing what little definition it had?
More surprising, bearing in mind the widespread use of the term, only half of those surveyed had heard of the IoT. One in three 'tech savvy' respondents said they hadn't heard of it and only 8% of those surveyed described themselves as 'very familiar' with the concept.
Even those who claimed familiarity with the term had difficulty in defining it accurately – responses ranged from an outlet for shopping online to internet searching.
The IoT isn't a thing in itself and that's the problem. A while ago, I suggested that marketing people around the world were frantically designing stickers for their products which said 'IoT compatible'. The same happened when environmental issues became important; all products suddenly became 'green'.
When those surveyed were given examples of IoT applications, they saw potential benefits. For example, 53% agreed the IoT would have a positive impact on their health and wellbeing – allowing them to track and monitor health issues on a regular basis. But 85% of respondents noted concerns about security and privacy.
