Consumers in the United Kingdom (UK) fear that technology was overtaking their lives, with many increasingly concerned about the pace of change they faced.
This was the outcome of a survey by the research firm KPMG LLP. The agency said in a media statement that it had recently surveyed over 1,600 consumers across the UK to identify attitudes towards the ‘Internet of Things’ – the term used to describe devices which ‘speak’ to each other over the Web. What the survey aimed to do was to gauge the respondents’ views around intrusiveness, security and the value of connected devices.
More than half of those polled, 58 per cent, resented the idea that computers seemed to run their lives “wherever I go”, and 70 per cent suggested that with the marketplace flooded with inter-connected devices, it was “too easy for things to go wrong”. The survey also revealed that UK consumers were hankering for a return to ‘simple’ technology. Many, for example, mainly wanted their phones only to make calls, 54 per cent, and the majority thought that more advanced Internet-based products such as smart fridges which self-order food or cookers reminding owners about recipes weren’t seen as necessary.
But respondents were also quick to recognise that inter-connected devices could bring benefits, with 48 per cent welcoming the idea that smart meters could save energy and money. Four in 10 also suggested that health monitors which issued warnings about impending illness were a good idea and 46 per cent wanted to use security systems to monitor their property whilst away from home.
Wil Rockall, a director in KPMG’s Cyber Security practice, says, “It is clear that consumers are struggling with a desire to use connected devices as a route towards an easier life, but they remain wary of the rise of the machine. They still support innovation, recognising that in the right environment having the latest technology is key – nearly 60 per cent acknowledge that technology makes us more effective at our job.”
Graphic Credit: PixTeller
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