The Internet Of Things: A Modern-day Version Of An Old Dilemma

The so-called "Internet of Things" poses a modern version of a very old dilemma. That dilemma revolves around feelings of control.

On the one hand, the connectedness of the appliances and objects in our lives promises a dramatic increase in our personal efficacy in life. We now have the potential to activate a kind of "virtual personal staff" that takes responsibility for performing duties on our behalf, silently, diligently, without a need for conscious attention from us — indeed without us even being present. This virtual staff can remember the scheduling of routine chores that we might forget. It can act on our behalf while we sleep. It can "keep the home fires burning" even as we travel far and wide.