The limits of acceptability of the connected devices

For several years now, information and communication technologies have become classic tools of human activity, whether for social, domestic or professional purposes.

In a connected society, individuals may have certain misgivings about the idea of being constantly connected to a network. The security of personal data collected and analyzed by connected objects is a worrying current topic that deserves the attention of all stakeholders. There are perceptible and measurable risks that are today the major challenge of the digital transition, as mentioned in a previous article on the protection of our data in a dematerialized world.

Who doesn’t know a story about the domination of robots over humans or the dehumanization of society? To such an extent that these stories are today ingrained in the collective unconscious and can be perceived as possible risks for society.

A country, a territory, a society lives by its population. Thus, this digital and societal transition from digital will only take place if the population accepts it and integrates it into its customs.

To achieve this, it is necessary to carry out some actions to promote the acceptability of digital and connected objects and, above all, to take into account the needs and expectations of the population.

EDUCATE

As with any new product, a period of education, training and adaptation is and will be necessary for the full understanding and use of these new tools. Whether at school, in the workplace or in a self-taught way, connected objects require learning to be used wisely and responsibly.

Thus, today’s school trains students to master these digital tools and the future citizen to live in a society whose technological environment is constantly changing by providing them with computers / tablets … in order to familiarize themselves with current technology.

COMMUNICATE

Public authorities, as well as private actors, also have an important role to play in the acceptability of connected objects by the population.

Indeed, a society is defined by its morals. These mores are self-evident since they have been integrated into a collective unconscious. Communication, the spearhead of acceptability, brings new societal dictas to be understood and incorporated. It is trough communication and the promotion of responsible connected objects that the perceived interest of these objects will imrpove, while becoming, in the long term, reference tools for the sustainable and resilient development of territories.

ADAPT

In France, we are proud of our regions and their particularities. New technologies must not call into question these national assets, which are specific to our country and inherited from our history. So each project must be carefully analyzed and take these specificities into account in order to propose innovative concepts that make sense for local and then national populations. A precise methodology, including geographical characteristics, social and cultural context, historical development, are all elements to be taken into account for a successful, understood and integrated territorial integration of connected technologies.

Human has always lived at the mercy of destruction and reconstruction in order to adapt his territory to meet his needs. Many will say that it is too optimistic, even utopian, to consider connected objects as the solution to the ills of 21st century society. However, let’s not forget that connected objects are only tools. They provide information, offer monitoring and support, give the possibility to act and provide.

The positive reactions to these connected objects are grouped in 4 dimensions :

Ease: Simplification of daily life and time saving.
Intelligence: Connected objects allow the individual to surpass himself (better organization …).
The social: these objects create social links by simplifying communication (especially at the distant level).
Affect: Connected objects become a source of different emotional experiences.

The degree of acceptability could vary greatly depending on the objects and the audiences given. It is a priori high for objects whose use and safety have been demonstrated. However, how far will these new technologies extend? What degree of intimacy will we share with these future connected items? There is already an electronic chip that is implanted in the human body and that allows several everyday applications. Today, technology also integrates our body.