“If you think that the internet has changed your life, think again. The Internet of Things is about to change it all over again!”
Brendan O’Brien
I’m pretty sure that you all have either heard of Internet of Things or Big Data, but do you know what it really means? How does it benefit us? Is it dangerous? Let me start of with the definition first.
Internet of Things (IoT)
Internet of Things refers to the billions of physical devicecs around the world that are now connected to the internet, all collecting and sharing data. The examples would be a smart bulb, Google Glass, and many more. Pretty much any physical object can be transformed into an IoT device if it can be connected to the internet to be controlled or communicate information.
Big Data
Big Data is a phrase used to mean a massive volume of both structured and unstructured data that is so large it is difficult to process using traditional database and software techniques. Examples of big data might be petabytes (1,024 terabytes) or exabytes (1,024 petabytes) of data consisting of billions to trillions of records of millions of people – all from different sources.
There are specific attributes that define big data. In most big data circles, these are called the four V’s: Volume, Variety, Velocity, and Veracity.
So, what are the benefits of IoT and Big Data on marketing?
- Analyze customer buying habits across platforms
- Gather previously unobtainable data about how consumers interact with devices and products
- Gain deeper insights into where a customer is in the buying journey
- Provide real-time, point-of-sale notifications and targeted ads
- Quickly resolve issues to close sales and keep customers happy
An example would be the increasing use of smart home. With smart devices you can easily manage your home devices from one place, from your smartphone or tablet. Moreover, you can easily monitor your smart devices activity.
Who wouldn’t want a smart home? I have been dreaming to have one since I was a kid. I can check if my door is locked without going back home, I can turn on the light without walking to the switch. I can even turn on the air-conditioner in my house 30 minutes before I arrive home. What a dream!
However, with that many benefits, IoT and Big Data do have a few problems too!
The risks of cyber security are more complex than ever, by 2020 every person will generate 1.7 megabytes of information per second. As new technologies evolve, cyber criminals adapt and discover new hacking methods to apprehend sensitive data like users privacy. AI and IoT have the potential to revolutionize society, but what will happen when these new technologies are weaponized by cyber criminals?
IoT and Big Data has indeed help to create a lot of convenience for consumers and marketers. However, it’s undeniably true that there are still a lot of problems that need to be improved on. Nevertheless, it is up to the use to choose whether the benefits outweigh the problems.
So, what do you think? After weighing the pros and cons, which side are you in? Feel free to drop a comment below:)
Enjoy these funny comics I found online:)
Nina's Digital Marketing Blog 
Nice post! Thank you for taking time to write such a nice post! I do agree with you on how IoT has been integrated into our daily lives and making things convenient. I am curious, what do you think is the best deterence against cyber criminals, and what can we do as ordinary people to help tackle that challenge?
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Hi Arthur! Thank you for reading my post! The best way to tackle cyber criminals is definitely to stop using computers and smartphone, but of course that would be impossible isn’t it? I think some of the ways include, using antivirus software, using powerful passwords, and most importantly, keep important things to yourself!
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The Internet of Things and Big Data are starting to have such a massive influence, and i expect it to grow and grow. To me it makes perfect sense, we can better so many products and services by analysing Big Data, so why not? I’m for it if the customer will get better service and even better again from a business perspective if it can also enhance profits!
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Hi Weeling! Thank you for reading my post! It’s true that Big Data does bring a lot of benefits for businesses to grow which leads to better service for the customers. As long as they are not violating the users privacy, I agree with all the above-mentioned statement!
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Great post! I totally agree with you that IoT has given people plenty of convenience! I doubt I could live in a world without technology, because it really gives us so much comfort that we never imagined before!
However, I’m also a little wary about using them because they store personal information and you never know when hacked! Do you have any advice about privacy issues for people like me, and how to defend ourselves?
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Thank you for reading my post Gxinrui! Yep, I love technology and how they keep on improving them to be better and make out lives easier and more convenience. However, it does have a price to pay if we overuse it or if we are not careful about it.
The important advice would be keeping all important thing to yourself! I think nowadays to keep your password and important details written in a book is safer than keeping in online. However, we all know that we still need to use internet right? So I would suggest you to use antivirus software and powerful passwords to protect your privacy.
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