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Chapter 13: Trends in Information Systems

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this chapter, you will be

able to:

• describe current trends in information systems.

• know how to think about the impacts of changes in

technology on society and culture.

Introduction

Information systems have evolved at a rapid pace ever since their

introduction in the 1950s. Today devices you can hold in one hand

are more powerful than the computers used to land a man on the

moon in 1969. The Internet has made the entire world accessible to

you, allowing you to communicate and collaborate like never before.

This chapter examines current trends and looks ahead to what is

coming next. As you read about technology trends in this chapter,

think how you might gain competitive advantage in a future career

through implementation of some of these devices.

Chapter 13: Trends in Information Systems | 291

Global

The first trend to note is the continuing expansion of globalization.

The use of the Internet is growing all over the world, and with

it the use of digital devices. Penetration rates, the percent of the

population using the Internet, remains high in the developed world,

but other continents are gaining.1

Internet Users by Continent (Source: Internet World Stats)

In addition to worldwide growth in Internet penetration, the

number of mobile phones in use continues to increase. At the end

of 2017 the world population of people over the age 10 years (those

old enough to possibly have their own mobile phone) was about

5.7 billion with an estimated 4.77 billion mobile phone users. This

1. Internet World Stats

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https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
equates to over 80% of people in the world having a mobile phone. 2

World wide mobile phone users (Source: Statista)

Social

Social media growth is another trend that continues at a firm

growth rate. As of April 2018 there were about 2.18 billion Facebook

users, a 14% increase from April 2017.3

2. Statistica Forecast of Mobile Phone Users Worldwide

3. Zephoria Top 15 Valuable Facebook Statistics

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https://www.statista.com/statistics/274774/forecast-of-mobile-phone-users-worldwide/
https://zephoria.com/top-15-valuable-facebook-statistics/
Facebook users world wide in June 2017 (Source: Internet World

Stats)

In 2018, of the 2.2 billion users who regularly use Facebook, only half

them spoke English and only 10% were from the US.4

Besides Facebook, other social media sites are also seeing

tremendous growth. Over 83% of YouTube’s users are outside the

US, with the UK, India, Germany, Canada, France, South Korea, and

Russia leading the way.5 Pinterest gets over 57% of its users from

outside the US, with over 9% residing in India. 6 Twitter now has

over 330 million active users. 7 Social media sites not based in the

US are also growing. China’s WeChat multipurpose messaging and

social media app is the fifth most-visited site in the world.8

4. https://blog.hootsuite.com/facebook-statistics

5. Omnicore Agency Facebook Statistics

6. Omnicore Agency Pinterest Statistics

7. Omnicore Agency Twitter Statistics

8. Statista

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https://www.omnicoreagency.com/facebook-statistics/
https://www.omnicoreagency.com/pinterest-statistics/
https://www.omnicoreagency.com/twitter-statistics/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/
Mary Meeker making her Internet Trends presentation

Personal

Ever since the advent of Web 2.0 and e-commerce, users of

information systems have expected to be able to modify their

experiences to meet their personal tastes. From custom

backgrounds on computer desktops to unique ringtones on mobile

phones, makers of digital devices provide the ability to personalize

how we use them. More recently, companies such as Netflix have

begun assisting their users with personalizations by viewing

suggestions. In the future, we will begin seeing devices perfectly

matched to our personal preferences, based upon information

collected about us.

Sidebar: Mary Meeker and Internet Trends

Chapters such as this are

difficult to maintain because

the future is a moving target.

The same goes for businesses

looking to figure out where to

develop new products and

make investments. Enter Mary

Meeker, up until 2018 a partner

at the notable venture capital

firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield &

Byers and now forming her own investment group, Bond Capital. For

the past several years, Ms. Meeker has presented the “Internet

Trends” report at the Code Conference every May. The

presentation consists of rapid-fire summaries of data that provides

insights into all of the latest trends in digital technologies and their

Chapter 13: Trends in Information Systems | 295

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-meeker-5823ba48/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-meeker-5823ba48/
impact on economies, culture, and investing. For those wanting to

keep up with technology, there is no better way than to unpack her

annual presentation by watching a video of the presentation and

reviewing the associated slide deck.

Here are the last few years of videos of her presentation: 2019

2018 2017

You can view her slide decks from previous years by going to the

Bond Capital archive.

Mobile

Perhaps the most impactful trend in digital technologies in the last

decade has been the advent of mobile technologies. Beginning with

the simple cellphone in the 1990s and evolving into the smartphones

of today, the growth of mobile has been overwhelming. Here are

some key indicators of this trend:

• Mobile vs. Desktop. Minutes spent each day on a mobile device are 2.5 times the number of minutes spent on a desktop

computer.

• Daytime vs. Evening. Desktop use dominates in the daytime hours, but mobile devices are dominant in the evening, with

peak usage around 8:00 pm.

• Device usage. Smartphones are used more than any other technology. Laptops are in second place, followed by tablets

holding a slight edge over desktops. 9

• Smartphone sales decline. According to Gartner Group, world

9. Smart Insights

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_dwZB5h56E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdjcdZqODoE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC8GwG6srqs
https://www.bondcap.com/#archive
https://www.smartinsights.com/mobile-marketing/mobile-marketing-analytics/mobile-marketing-statistics/
wide smartphone sales declined in the fourth quarter of 2017

by 4.7% compared with the fourth quarter of 2016. This is the

first decline in global smartphone sales since Gartner began

tracking mobile phone sales in 2004. 10

• The rise and fall of tablets. In 2012 the iPad sold more than three times as many units in its first twelve months as the

iPhone did in its first twelve months. However, tablet sales

dropped 20% from the fourth quarter 2015 to fourth quarter

2016. 11

The decline in tablet sales continued into 2017 when first

quarter sales dropped 8.5% to their lowest total since the third

quarter of 2012, the year they were introduced. 12 In

comparison, PC sales dropped only 1.7% in 2017 compared with

tablet sales being down 10%. 13

As discussed in chapter 5, the advent of 5G connection technologies

will accelerate an “always-connected” state for a majority of people

around the world.

Wearable

The average smartphone user looks at his or her smartphone 150

times a day for functions such as messaging (23 times), phone calls

(22), listening to music (13), and social media (9).Many of these

functions would be much better served if the technology was worn

10. Gartner.com

11. Techcrunch

12. Business Insider

13. Telegraph

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https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3859963
https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/21/what-happened-to-tablet-sales/
http://www.businessinsider.com/tablet-sales-decline-ipad-chart-2017-5
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/01/11/tablet-sales-fall-third-successive-year-pc-market-stabilises/
Wearable Devices Actual and Forecast (Source: Gartner Group, August 2017)

on, or even physically integrated into, our bodies. This technology is

known as a “wearable.”

Wearables have been around for a long time, with technologies

such as hearing aids and, later, bluetooth earpieces. Now the

product lines have expanded to include the Smartwatch, body

cameras, sports watch, and various fitness monitors. The following

table from the Gartner Group reports both historical and predicted

sales.

Wearable Devices Worldwide (millions of units)

Notice the strong growth predicted by 2021. Total wearable

devices are projected to increase by about 45% from 2018 to 2021.

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https://opentextbook.site/informationsystems2019/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/07/170824_gartner_wearables.png
https://opentextbook.site/informationsystems2019/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/07/170824_gartner_wearables.png
Waze Screen Shot (Click to enlarge)

Collaborative

As more people use

smartphones and wearables, it

will be simpler than ever to

share data with each other for

mutual benefit. Some of this

sharing can be done passively,

such as reporting your location

in order to update traffic

statistics. Other data can be

reported actively, such as

adding your rating of a

restaurant to a review site.

The smartphone app Waze is

a community-based tool that

keeps track of the route you are

traveling and how fast you are

making your way to your

destination. In return for

providing your data, you can benefit from the data being sent from

all of the other users of the app. Waze directs you around traffic and

accidents based upon real-time reports from other users.

Yelp! allows consumers to post ratings and reviews of local

businesses into a database, and then it provides that data back to

consumers via its website or mobile phone app. By compiling ratings

of restaurants, shopping centers, and services, and then allowing

consumers to search through its directory, Yelp! has become a huge

source of business for many companies. Unlike data collected

passively however, Yelp! relies on its users to take the time to

provide honest ratings and reviews.

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http://www.waze.com/
http://www.yelp.com/
Printable

One of the most amazing innovations to be developed recently is

the 3-D printer. A 3-D printer allows you to print virtually any 3-D

object based on a model of that object designed on a computer.

3-D printers work by creating layer upon layer of the model using

malleable materials, such as different types of glass, metals, or even

wax.

3-D printing is quite useful for prototyping the designs of

products to determine their feasibility and marketability. 3-D

printing has also been used to create working prosthetic legs and

an ear that can hear beyond the range of normal hearing. The US

military now uses 3-D printed parts on aircraft such as the F-18.14

Here are more amazing productions from 3D printers.

• Buildings. Researchers at MIT in 2017 unveiled a 3D printing robot that can construct a building. It has a large arm and small

arm. The large arm moves around the perimeter of the building

while the small arm sprays a variety of materials including

concrete and insulation. Total time to construct a dome-

shaped building is just 14 hours.

• Musical Instruments. Flutes, fiddles, and acoustic guitars are being produced with 3D printing using both metal and plastic.

You can click here for an example of making a violin.

• Medical Models. Medical models are being used to help doctors train in the areas of orthopedics, transplant surgery,

and oncology. Using a 3D printed brain model similar to the

one shown here, surgeons were able to save a patient from a

cerebral aneurysm.

• Clothing. How would you like clothes that fit perfectly? Special

14. The Economist. (2013, September 13). 3-D Printing Scales

Up.

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http://inhabitat.com/these-beautiful-customized-3d-printed-prosthetic-legs-are-made-to-be-seen
http://news.yahoo.com/7-weirdest-things-made-3d-printing-122023635.html
https://violinodigitale.com/
http://www.3ders.org/articles/20170713-3d-printed-brain-model-helps-surgeons-save-60-year-old-woman-with-cerebral-aneurysm.html
http://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21584447-digital-manufacturing-there-lot-hype-around-3d-printing-it-fast
http://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21584447-digital-manufacturing-there-lot-hype-around-3d-printing-it-fast
software is used to measure a person, then 3D printing

produces the clothing to the exact measurements. The result is

well-fitting clothes that consume less raw materials. Initially

the challenge was to find materials that would not break. You

can read more about 3D printing of clothes and shoes. 15

3-D printing is one of many technologies embraced by the

“maker” movement. Chris Anderson, editor of Wired magazine, puts it this way16:

In a nutshell, the term “Maker” refers to a new category of

builders who are using open-source methods and the latest

technology to bring manufacturing out of its traditional

factory context, and into the realm of the personal desktop

computer. Until recently, the ability to manufacture was

reserved for those who owned factories. What’s happened

over the last five years is that we’ve brought the Web’s

democratizing power to manufacturing. Today, you can

manufacture with the push of a button.

15. Bosavage, J. (2017, September 5). Unbelievable Creations

from 3-D Printers.

16. Anderson, C. (2012). Makers: The New Industrial

Revolution.. Crown Business.

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https://www.wired.com/2017/05/the-shattering-truth-of-3d-printed-clothing/
http://theinstitute.ieee.org/technology-topics/consumer-electronics/unbelievable-creations-from-3d-printers
http://theinstitute.ieee.org/technology-topics/consumer-electronics/unbelievable-creations-from-3d-printers
Findable

The “Internet of Things” (IoT) refers to devices that have been

embedded into a variety of objects including appliances, lamps,

vehicles, lightbulbs, toys, thermostats, jet engines, etc. and then

connecting them via Wi-Fi, BlueTooth, or LTE to the Internet.

Principally three factors have come together to give us IoT:

inexpensive processors, wireless connectivity, and a new standard

for addresses on the Internet known as IPv6. The result is these

small, embedded objects (things) are capable of sending and

receiving data. Lights can be turned on or off remotely. Thermostats

can be reset with anyone being present. And, perhaps on the

downside, how you drive your car can be monitored and evaluated

by your insurance company.

Processors have become both smaller and cheaper in recent

years, leading to their being embedded in more devices. Consider

technological advancements in your vehicles. Your car can now

collect data about how fast you drive, where you go, radio stations

you listen to, and your driving performance such as acceleration

and braking. Insurance companies are offering discounts for the

right to monitor your driving behavior. On the positive side, imagine

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the benefit of being informed instantly of anticipated traffic delays

each time you adjust your route to work in the morning.

Think of IoT as devices that you wouldn’t normally consider being

connected to the Internet. And, the connection is independent of

human intervention. So a PC is not an IoT, but a fitness band could

be. One keyword for IoT would be “independent”, not relying

directly or constantly on human action.

Another keyword would be “interconnected”, in the sense that

IoTs are connected to other IoTs and data collection points or data

servers. This interconnectedness or uploading of data is virtually

automatic.

“Ubiqutous” is also a good descriptor of IoTs. And so is

“embeddedness.” It is reasonable to expect that devices through

IoTs are reporting data about conditions and events that are not

foremost in our thinking, at least not on a continuous basis. Today

there are IoTs for monitoring traffic, air quality, soil moisture, bridge

conditions, consumer electronics, autonomous vehicles, and the list

seemingly never stops. The question that might come to mind is

“How many IoTs are there today?”

The Gartner Group released a study in January 2017 which

attempted to identify where IoTs exist. They reported that over half

of all IoTs are installed in devices used by consumers. They also

noted that growth in IoTs increased by over 30% from 2016 to the

projected levels for 2017.17

Benefits from IoTs are virtually everywhere. Here is a quick list.

• Optimization of Processes. IoTs in manufacturing monitor a variety of conditions that impact production including

temperature, humidity, barometric pressure – all factors which

17. Ranger, S. (2018, January 19). What is the IoT? Everything

You Wanted to Know about The Internet of Things Right

Now. ZDNet.

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https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-the-internet-of-things-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iot-right-now/
https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-the-internet-of-things-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iot-right-now/
https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-the-internet-of-things-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iot-right-now/
require adjustment in application of manufacturing formulas.

• Component Monitoring. IoTs are added to components in the manufacturing process, then monitored to see how each

component is performing.

• Home Security Systems. IoTs make the challenge of monitoring activity inside and outside your home are now

easier.

• Smart Thermostats. Remote control of home thermostats through the use of IoTs allows the homeowner to be more

efficient in consumption of utilities.

• Residential Lighting. IoTs provide remote control of lighting, both interior and exterior, and at any time of day.18

Security issues need to be acknowledged and resolved, preferably

before IoTs in the form of remote lighting, thermostats, and security

systems are installed in a residence. Here are some security

concerns that need monitoring.

• Eavesdropping. Smart speaker systems in residences have been hacked, allowing others to eavesdrop on conversations

within the home.

• Internet-connected Smart Watches. These devices are sometimes used to monitor the location of children in the

family. Unfortunately, hackers have been able to breakin and

again, eavesdrop as well as learn where children are located.

• Lax Use by Owners. Devices such as smart thermometers, security systems, etc. come with a default password. Many

owners fail to change the password, thereby allowing easy

access by a hacker.

18. Ranger, S. (2018, January 19). What is the IoT? Everything

You Wanted to Know about The Internet of Things Right

Now. ZDNet.

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https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-the-internet-of-things-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iot-right-now/
https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-the-internet-of-things-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iot-right-now/
https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-the-internet-of-things-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iot-right-now/
Autonomous

Another trend that is emerging is an extension of the Internet of

Things: autonomous robots and vehicles. By combining software,

sensors, and location technologies, devices that can operate

themselves to perform specific functions are being developed.

These take the form of creations such as medical nanotechnology

robots (nanobots), self-driving cars, or unmanned aerial vehicles

(UAVs).

A nanobot is a robot whose components are on the scale of about

a nanometer, which is one-billionth of a meter. While still an

emerging field, it is showing promise for applications in the medical

field. For example, a set of nanobots could be introduced into the

human body to combat cancer or a specific disease.

In March of 2012, Google introduced the world to their driverless

car by releasing a video on YouTube showing a blind man driving

the car around the San Francisco area. The car combines several

technologies, including a laser radar system, worth about $150,000.

While the car is not available commercially yet, three US states

(Nevada, Florida, and California) have already passed legislation

making driverless cars legal.

A UAV, often referred to as a “drone,” is a small airplane or

helicopter that can fly without a pilot. Instead of a pilot, they are

either run autonomously by computers in the vehicle or operated

by a person using a remote control. While most drones today are

used for military or civil applications, there is a growing market

for personal drones. For around $300, a consumer can purchase a

drone for personal use.

Secure

As digital technologies drive relentlessly forward, so does the

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdgQpa1pUUE
http://www.amazon.com/Parrot-AR-Drone-Quadricopter-Controlled-Android/dp/B007HZLLOK
http://www.amazon.com/Parrot-AR-Drone-Quadricopter-Controlled-Android/dp/B007HZLLOK
demand for increased security. One of the most important

innovations in security is the use of encryption, which we covered

in chapter 6.

Summary

As the world of information technology moves forward, we will

be constantly challenged by new capabilities and innovations that

will both amaze and disgust us. As we learned in chapter 12, many

times the new capabilities and powers that come with these new

technologies will test us and require a new way of thinking about

the world. Businesses and individuals alike need to be aware of these

coming changes and prepare for them.

Study Questions

1. Which countries are the biggest users of the Internet? Social

media? Mobile?

2. Which country had the largest Internet growth (in %) in the

last five years?

3. How will most people connect to the Internet in the future?

4. What are two different applications of wearable technologies?

5. What are two different applications of collaborative

technologies?

6. What capabilities do printable technologies have?

7. How will advances in wireless technologies and sensors make

objects “findable”?