A new study offers intriguing insights into how much trust we have in the smart gadgets that plague our homes. Spoiler alert: not much. Yet despite this, we continue to use them, prioritizing convenience over privacy or security.
The PROBLEM with Smart Home Technology
“Most people have a connected home, whether they like it or not,” tech writer and Internet of Things specialist Cate Lawrence told Lifewire via email. At the same time, she says, “most homes are connected, not smart,” because these gadgets don’t work together in any useful way.
The study also put an end to the old cliché of using our grandfather or grandmother as a stand-in for the “inexperienced user.” It turns out that older people are just as likely to embrace new gadgets as younger people, although they are more cautious about them. In fact, it’s the age group in between that is the most conservative.
The research, conducted by Dr Sara Cannizzaro and Professor Rob Procter at the University of Warwick in the UK, was based on a survey of 2,101 people. The survey asked them about their general knowledge of the Internet of Things (IoT), their experience with smart home gadgets and their confidence in the privacy and security of those devices.
