Connectivity isn't everything, but it's almost everything

Abstract

Connectivity underpins almost every aspect of contemporary life. From toddlers with tablets and texting teens to smartphone addicts and the internet of things, we are increasingly able to be connected anytime/anywhere. But, ubiquitous and near-constant connectivity also comes with a price of fragmented attention, blurred work/non-work boundaries, and even (ironically) social isolation. The democratisation of information and media is shifting power to the consumer of everything from hotels to hospitals, amidst unprecedented threats to privacy and security. Moreover, digitisation, automation and machine-to-machine connectivity are changing work and organisations, and disrupting extant business models. Socio-technical theories have explained the interaction between humans and machines in the past, but we need new ways to think about information and computing tools that literally go with us everywhere we go. The conceptual and practical challenges are great, but increasing connectivity also brings extraordinary opportunities for news ways of working, innovative business models that can succeed from anywhere, and enhanced personal performance and well-being.