Source: Adapted from Atzori et al. (2014)©Authors, 2018
Atzori et al., (2014) went further on their analogical evolution ladder
toward a new type of object that can be considered as res
socialis (i.e., social object). The term they described as an object
that is part of and acts in a social community of objects and devices
(which, in this case, is a social IoT). The features of the three
categories of IoT objects identified by Atzori et al. (2014) are
illustrated in Figure 3.
The disruptive nature of IoT technologies and the fast-growing
applications is evident in industries from manufacturing to
pharmaceuticals and from health care, to our smart homes and workplaces
(Atzori et al., 2014; Hoontrakul, 2018; Xu, He, & Li, 2014). Even
livestock industries are using these technologies to keep track of their
precious assets (Gao & Bai, 2014). In the age of IoT, all of these
widely diverse industries are gaining greater efficiency and exponential
growth at rapid rates.
Undeniably, these changes in the workplace will have a great impact on
education in general and higher education in particular. At the very
least, such developments and evolutions in the workplace demand a more
educated population. While DeMillo (2011) pointed out that technological
advancements, in general, have the potential to be challenging to higher
education institutions, Tianbo (2012) asserted that IoT is encouraging
changes in higher education and has the potential to create more
intelligent systems in these institutions. However, higher education
institutions not only have to think about the transformative effects of
IoT’s emergence in our society, but are also obligated to rethink how
best to educate the coming generation (Kortuem, Bandara, Smith,
Richards, & Petre, 2013). Crucially, there is also “need for an
education provision that can empower a new generation of a digital
citizen who can understand both technologies that underpin the Internet
of Things, as well as the societal impacts of widespread adaption of
these technologies” (Kortuem et al., 2013, p. 53).
Anticipated impact of IoT on the Internet and economy are staggering,
with some projecting as many as 100 billion connected IoT devices and a
global economic impact of more than $11 trillion by 2025 (Rose et al.,
2015). This is having very significant impact on organizations and human
resources, and the role HRD will play may be dramatically altered.