The Hotels.com commercial featuring a resplendent Captain Obvious was, pardon the repetition, an obvious attempt at sarcasm or irony or inside jokery that winds up being a painful reminder of just how many decisions are made on the basis of what is right in front of our faces, even if it isn’t true. It is the power of a compelling anecdote that can drive legislation, propel a point-of-view or undermine public confidence.
The anecdote that underscores the outsized influence of anecdotes is the persistent gap between what science tells us and what we are willing to hear. The disconnect is not so much in the breadth of research or depth of understanding, but in the way that complexity can turn black-and-white in gray. Gray makes people uncomfortable and can lead to a groundswell of opposition to what might otherwise be of long-term benefit.
Today there is a new arena of formerly black-and-white behaviors that are about to go gray. The opening your front door, compiling your weekly shopping list, turning on the heat or air conditioning, even driving to work and more are being digitally enhanced, collected into an Internet of Things.
Having shifted from dialing up Internet access to a world where it is always on, we are moving to connect every device that can be outfitted with a chip.
It is an understandable urge. The more we know, the better we can manage our lives and what better way to manage our lives than by remote access? It is a bit gray, though. The always ironic Homer Simpson said it best, “Trusting every aspect of our lives to a giant computer was the smartest thing we ever did.”
A story on GigoOM made the same point a bit more directly: “It’s not just your data that’s at risk if your car or your lock has an IP address, it’s also your physical security.” That is a powerful anecdote. Is it powerful enough to derail the Internet of Things?
The headlines are dominated by the investments in and the potential of the Internet of Things. Sales figures for wearables, an explosion of health related apps and the promise of driverless cars are all good copy. But single-purpose bracelets don’t seem everyday practical, health apps are easy to download, but healthcare still costs too much and directing a car by GPS becomes problematic under overcast skies.
Deriving the value possible from an interconnected network of devices, inside the home and out, will take patience and commitment not seen lately. Every time someone suggests pacemakers can be hacked or an airplane’s Wi-Fi makes it vulnerable to attack or remote access is a weak link in the nation’s power grid, will we retreat or redouble our efforts to get it right?
