The Internet of Things: A New Network With the Same Old Problems

David Stockdale

May 28, 2015

https://www.digitalethics.org/essays/internet-things-new-network-same-old-problems

"New Inventions, Identical Complications"

First Impression:

No matter what new innovation or creation comes your way, there are still things that are unavoidable in life, or rather, there's the paradoxical issue of having the same old problems in an invention that has been made into something new. Kinda reminds of me of growing up in a way: I may look new and changed on the outside, but same old chaos to be dealt with on the inside. 

Quote: 

" Where lives can be saved by this technology, where suffering can be minimized, we have a moral obligation to insure its safe implementation." 

Reflection Proper: 

Society nowadays has been heavily influenced by the Internet of Things, or the IoT for short. It basically involves the capability of enabling certain machines to communicate with users especially with one another and thus improving efficiency and automation. Major innovations involving the IoT has changed our lives dramatically, both having good and bad after-effects like on one side, IoT may have implications involving many fields and industries such as in healthcare where IoT can enable remote monitoring of specialized implants like pacemakers, and on the other side, IoT can present complex ethical problems such as security due to potential vulnerabilities in IoT devices. To put it simply though, there's a big problem involving these things, and according to the article, and I solely agree with this statement: our ability to develop and use tools is connected to our ability to adapt, and in today's world, those two abilities are at odds with one another --- i.e. no matter how many new inventions we make or use, we are somewhat slow to adapt to the situations involving them. Furthermore, I agree with this logic: we should anticipate and find a solution to potential and possibly ethical problems that will come eventually with new inventions and innovations. In other words, we should all have ethical, constant, clean, smart and logical vigilance in everything we do around technology, for it's what we do with it that matters most. So based from this entire essay, new inventions and upgrades like the IoT may create an era of automation and machines making our lives easy, but don't drop your guard either way, for even luxury like that could harbor in something else that is the opposite of that, and it's our responsibility otherwise that the innovations we make and probably created by other innovations like devices influenced by IoT have only positive consequences and effects to everyone around the world.

5 Things Learned From Article: 

1. I learned that one of the most important technological innovations of the 20th century involves a simple modification to a vending machine.

2. I learned about the invention and uses of the Internet of Things (IoT).

3. I learned that the innovations brought by the IoT can deliver good and bad effects in the form of such things like complex ethical problems.

4. I learned that our ability involving adaptation is currently at odds with our ability involving the use and development of tools.

5. I learned that it's best to have constant ethical vigilance with every innovation we do and to address immediately the potential problems that will inevitably come with every new invention we make.

5 Integrative Questions:

1. Do you believe in the problem stating that society can't keep up with technological progression?

2. What's your opinion on IoT and its effects on people?

3. How do you feel about knowing that the tools of humanity had probably outpaced our ability to adapt to the new environment created by the same tools?

4. Why do the same old problem still apply to an invention no matter how many times it has upgraded or evolved?

5. What's your suggestion or solution involving addressing potential problems involving new advances in today's society?