The ‘Internet of Things’ is a thing?

MILLORA 2019-60019

In the modern world, almost every individual is connected to the Internet. It might be
people being active in social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. But what if
the daily drivers of our daily routine such as alarm clocks, traffic lights, air conditioners and
etc. are also connected to the Internet? What if every object around the environment can be
automated and be controlled remotely? This is where the Internet of Things or commonly
known as IoT kicks in.
The Internet of Things or IoT is the idea of connecting almost any gadget or device to
the Internet where it can possibly be automated, controlled or configured. It is a massive
network connected to the Internet where everything can communicate. Different devices and
objects are equipped with sensors that can harvest data which is then connected to a platform
of Internet of Things which further analyses and create smart decisions not only for the user
but also with the device, example is Xiaomi’s IoT which is the world’s largest IoT platform as
of to date. These data are collected and made into information that can be used to detect patterns
and create an intuitive inferences or decisions to be more efficient and effective.
IoT as an emerging technology can widely affect our society, in our daily work,
financial aspects, and attitude towards the modern era. IoT today is widely used in transport,
communicating devices such as phones being connected to household appliances, agriculture
and a lot more. It helps people in having building or home automation. Appliances or even the
electric system can have an interconnection with each other that can make more efficient
energy management systems, and at the same time, devices records data which can further be
analyzed and used in machine learning for creating smart decisions and doing remote systems.
It is also used in transportation such as Grab, Waze and a lot more. Data are fed to the Internet
whereas vehicles and traffic entities such as traffic lights can naturally communicate and create
alternate routes that can help ease the traffic. Not only that IoT is used for traffic systems but
also it further applies to smart parking systems, toll collection, streetlights management and a
lot more. These are few examples of how IoT can be advantageous for the society, it can help
cut cost especially of electricity and water bills, provide information and data for analytics, less
transparency and more effective communication between machines, automation and control
meaning less human intervention and more apt decisions and most of all, increased in
productivity especially in labor efficiency, financial stability, and business management.
However, as IoT develops and grow, more and more data are being exposed to the
Internet. It can be a reason for possible hacking and data leaking especially that these data can
mean one’s behavior or daily routines. It can also greatly reduce the amount of jobs for us
humans especially those within the marginalized section since every machine can now be
automated, basic tasks can be done remotely and by the machine itself. IoT, possibly, can
decline the main thing that a society must do which is to socialize. It can intervene and reduce
human interaction because people are more dependent of the current emerging technologies.
IoT is becoming a daily driver of our lives. As technology continues to develop, almost
every device will be connected. It is us who can decide whether up to what extent can
technology consume our basic life. If we can adapt and use technology efficiently and
accordingly, it can greatly benefit to our needs and have a much more effective and efficient
way of living.