To read this content please select one of the options below:

Understanding the Internet of Things ecosystem: multi-level analysis of users, society, and ecology

Dong-Hee Shin (School of Media and Communication, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)
Yong Jin Park (School of Communications, Howard University, USA)

Digital Policy, Regulation and Governance

ISSN: 2398-5038

Article publication date: 9 January 2017

3225

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to conduct socio-technical analysis of the rapidly evolving Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem and industry, including such factors as market growth and user experiences, policy and the impact of IoT on various areas.

Design/methodology/approach

By applying a multi-level socio-technical framework to IoT in South Korea, this study seeks an ecological understanding of how IoT will evolve and stabilize in a smart environment.

Findings

The study shows the values influencing potential users’ adoption of IoT by integrating cognitive motivations and user values as primary determining factors. Along with user modeling, the findings reveal the challenges of designing, deploying and sustaining the diverse components of IoT, and provides a snapshot of Korea’s current approach to meeting these challenges.

Originality/value

The study’s findings offer a contextualized socio-technical analysis of IoT, providing insight into its challenges and opportunities. This insight helps to conceptualize how IoT can be designed and situated within human-centered contexts.

Keywords

Citation

Shin, D.-H. and Jin Park, Y. (2017), "Understanding the Internet of Things ecosystem: multi-level analysis of users, society, and ecology", Digital Policy, Regulation and Governance, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 77-100. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPRG-07-2016-0035

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles