Any Thing for Anyone? The Internet of Things, the Paradox of Skills, and Digital Inequality

• In Event: Digital Literacy: Unpacking Outcomes

Abstract

The “Internet-of-Things” (IoT) promises many potential social benefits across a range of areas. We argue that attention to the skills needed by individuals is an important issue for public policy, to fully exploit these technologies, and to avoid unintended consequences. We expect comparative advantages to increase based on differentiated skills, enabling smaller groups of people to benefit, and disadvantaging others in new ways. This need for renewed attention to digital skills at first seems paradoxical, given that many of these technologies operate autonomously. We discuss evolving digital technologies and related skills, and explain from a systems perspective how IoT differs from prior technologies, for policymakers as well as individuals, who must anticipate the consequences of technology use in complex systems. Finally, we bring the issues of the digital divide and IoT skills together and set an agenda for future research on IoT, as well as for public policy.

Authors

• Alexander van Deursen, U of Twente / GW / CW

• Karen Mossberger, Arizona State U