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1. Introduction
The Internet of Things (IoT) is currently emerging as the next megatrend in technology, with repercussions across the spectrum of society and business. Though its definition is broad and changing, IoT refers generally to a global infrastructure for the information society, enabling advanced services by interconnecting (physical and virtual) things based on existing and evolving interoperable information and communication technologies (ITU Recommendation, 2014). IoT stands to dramatically change people’s lives, workplace productivity and consumption. A string of new businesses will emerge as a result, seeking to expand the internet pipes, analyze reams of data and create new things as yet unimagined.
Now that IoT is earning headlines and growing as a buzzword, it is time for a reality check (Shin, 2014). Although IoT is expected to have a massive impact on individuals and the wider cultural milieu, it is still in its early days, and many challenges lie ahead (Gubbi et al., 2013; Weber, 2010). Questions arise concerning what the IoT landscape will look like and what its impact will be. Additionally, with the rapid development of IoT, some serious problems are revealed. For example, IoT is expanding the number of connected devices integrated into our everyday lives, presenting the opportunity for cyber attackers to gain access to our physical world through security holes in these new systems. Against this background, Shin (2014) and Zhao et al. (2013) argue that IoT has thus far focused predominantly on the technical aspects of design, such as network development and sensor deployment. Most IoT efforts have been directed toward development and integration of IoT technologies and resources. Current research similarly reflects this focus on IoT design, architecture and implementation from a technical standpoint (Gubbi et al., 2013). The majority of existing studies on IoT have investigated application of the IoT business model from firm and government perspectives (Peoples et al., 2013; Weber, 2010; Zhao et al., 2013). Little research has investigated IoT’s impact on social dynamics or organizational, political and cultural dimensions. In particular, research into acceptance of IoT from a user perspective is still in its infancy (Kim and Shin, 2015); user acceptance of a technology is the major determinant of actual usage behavior (Gao and Bai, 2014). Considering the complexity...