You might have heard of the Internet of Things, have you heard of the Internet of Behaviors? Ever wondered how your health apps suggest what exercise you should do or food to avoid? How do they know and why are they almost always so accurate? This is where Internet of Behaviors comes into play.
What Is the Internet of Behaviors (IoB)?
Internet of Behaviors, also known as IoB, refers to the collection and analysis of data and information gotten from users' devices to influence their behavior. Internet of Behavior entails turning the data gotten from devices connected to the internet into information then into knowledge that can be used to better satisfy the user of that product, using the user's behaviors, interests, and preferences
The Internet of Behaviors is a combination of three fields:
- Technology
- Data analytics
- Behavioral science
Technology
In the Internet of Behaviors, data is gotten from interconnected devices of the users. The evolution of multiple smart devices and wearables has made it increasingly easy for users to connect their devices. Data can be gotten from your phones, laptop, in-house cameras, and other devices. The devices are then linked together.
Data Analytics
Data Analytics is the process of extracting insights from data. The data sets acquired from the interconnected devices are studied to draw conclusions and find trends in the user's behaviors and interests.
Behavioral Science
Behavioral science is the study of human actions and behaviors and how they affect their thoughts interactions, and emotions. Behavioral science is then divided into four areas which are decisions, emotions, augmentations, and championships.
What Data Is Collected in the Internet of Behaviors?
Data is collected from every device connected to the internet. Companies can recognize and connect all our devices and mine data from them. Nowadays, your smartphone can be linked to your laptop and your smartwatch, and every device you use.
Existing technologies are used to focus on your behavior individually and not just a myriad of information from your devices. Information like facial recognition, location, likes, dislikes, habits, and every other thing that could be analyzed.
Now, your camera eye can recognize your face, your fingerprint sensor recognizes your biometrics, cookies allow businesses to trace your browsing history amongst other things, and every purchase you make is recorded. This allows companies to create near-accurate profiles of their customers and their behaviors.
How Is This Data Collected?
Data from your devices is analyzed sifted for relevance and converted into knowledge that can be used to influence your behaviors. But how do companies collect it?
Directly Asking for It
The main way companies collect your data is by directly asking for it. when you use certain programs and applications, they ask for some data from you. This data is used to better analyze your behaviors.
Website Cookies
Another way your data is collected is through cookies. Cookies are small files, most usually in text format, that websites use to identify your computer and improve your browsing experience. But they also store information about you and in many instances, track your browsing history. So, the companies and websites know where you've been and what you did.
Social Media
Social media is usually an extension of ourselves. When we create and use these platforms, data about us, our locations, friends, and interests are recorded by the company.
Applications and Benefits of the Internet of Behaviors
Even though IoB is fairly new to the tech space, it is applied in many sectors and has many benefits.
Personalized Experience
The Internet of Behaviors allows you to have a more streamlined and personalized experience when using apps and websites. Data from your device is used to provide a more efficient service to you.
YouTube uses behavioral analytics to recommend shows and videos you would be interested in. It is also used by policymakers to provide personalized laws, services, and programs to the citizens.
Health
Yes, the Internet of Behaviors can be used in the health sector. Health providers use this technology to check how active and engaged their patients are. Health apps on your phone track your exercise time, sleep patterns, water, and calorie intake, heart rate, and blood sugar levels.
These apps influence your behavior by suggesting healthy habits and alert you when you are about to make adverse actions to your health.
Now and during the pandemic, organizations used the Internet of Behaviors with the help of computer vision to check whether people were wearing masks or not. Thermal imagers were also used to check people with high body temperatures.
Industry
The Internet of Behaviors is used in many industries, especially the manufacturing industry, to monitor the behaviors of their workers and employees. The efficiency, productivity, work rate of the employees and workers are monitored using IoB, reducing the monitoring costs for industries.
Business
By improving the customer experience, analyzing behavioral detail, and applying it to their business models, organizations and companies have used the Internet of Behaviors as an effective and powerful sales and marketing tool. IoB allows businesses to have a deep understanding of their customers and clients which is essential for every business that wants to thrive.
The most exploited sector of Internet of Behaviors used by organizations and businesses is online advertising. Here, it helps companies identify and target relevant audiences to advertise their products and services to.
Google, Facebook, and other social media platforms use behavioral data from their users to show you ads that you might be interested in. And when you click on these ads, your behaviors are tracked and updated.
How IoB Affects You
Have you ever talked about a particular product or even Googled and the next thing you know your social media is full of ads of that product? It can be very annoying and feels like your privacy is invaded, right?
The problem doesn't lie in the interconnected devices but the data from them. Data security is becoming a large concern by the day. Many companies share and sell their user's data to their subsidiaries or other companies, many times without permission.
If not protected well, cybersecurity criminals can access sensitive information and behavioral data of people and sell them. Even worse, they can pose as individuals and perform fraudulent activities.
Data theft and information leaks can be very destructive and this is why new cybersecurity protocols have to be developed to ensure transparency and customer privacy.
The Internet of Behaviors and the Future
Internet of Things is a system of interconnected devices that are connected and can communicate with each other unaided by human interventions. The Internet of Behaviors is known as an extension of the Internet of Things (IoT). It is the interconnected devices of the IoT that produce data used to influence and analyze a user's behaviors.
Statistics predict that by 2023, 40% of the world's population (over 3 billion people!) would have their activities tracked and analyzed to influence their behavior.
Only time will tell if the Internet of Behaviors is the ultimate time saver, the ultimate marketing tool, or something far worse.