Internet of What?

I was camping in the desert with a group of CrossFit buddies earlier this Fall when I first heard the term ‘Internet of Things.’  I had no idea what it meant, but I kept hearing the term in the news, and in conversation, so I decided to do some research.  After reading several articles, my initial thoughts summed up in one word – “Wow!”.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a world of electronic devices, ranging from smart watches to heart rate monitors, that are connected to each other, and send and receive data via the internet (Ranger, 2018).  With the introduction of smaller processors, cheaper internet, and Wi-Fi-everything, IoT has exploded, and it continues to expand (Morgan, 2014).  Just imagine the billions of devices in the world connected to the internet and connected to each other.  That is a lot of information being shared from device to device.  Also, the kicker in the IoT world is that these devices don’t need us to access the internet or talk with one another (Ranger, 2018).  I know; seems a bit weird.

Why would anyone want this type of weird connectivity between devices, you ask? Well, that’s a good question.  IoT does have advantages that bring efficiencies to our lives (Morgan, 2014).  For example, your smart TV is set to wake you up for work to your favorite news channel, and it notifies your toaster to start making breakfast (Morgan, 2014).  Thinking futuristically, if you were having a heart attack while driving, your smart watch could switch your vehicle to autopilot and instruct it to drive you to the nearest hospital and call your emergency contacts (Morgan, 2014).  The idea might be far off into the future, but it is an example of what IoT could bring (Morgan, 2014).

IoT has also impacted marketing data in an enormous way (Patel, 2015).  There a more IoT-connected devices on the planet than humans, and marketers estimate that by 2020, there will be close to 1 trillion (Patel, 2015).  Why is this good for marketers?  It’s rather simple.  As more and more new products are connected to IoT – the newer the data marketers have to tap into diverse consumer segments (Patel, 2015).  With more information from consumers, marketers are better able to customize communications to specific audiences based on consumer preference (Patel, 2015).  That means that when your smart TV is talking to your toaster, they’re listening.

References:

Morgan, J.  (2014).  A simple explanation of ‘the internet of things’.  Forbes.  Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2014/05/13/simple-explanation-internet-things-that-anyone-can-understand/#70b66e131d09

Ranger, S.  (2018).  What is the IoT?  Everything you need to know about the internet of things right now.  ZDNet.  Retrieved from: https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-the-internet-of-things-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iot-right-now/

Patel, N.  (2015).  How the internet of things is changing online marketing.  Forbes.  Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilpatel/2015/12/10/how-the-internet-of-things-is-changing-online-marketing/#4cbd2b636880