Your fridge can now tell you what's lurking inside.
At least, some of them can. Today's smart refrigerators can use internal cameras and AI to recognise certain food items, allow you to check the contents from your phone, suggest recipes and help manage shopping lists. Some can even let you see inside without opening the door.
It’s impressive what technology can do, but do we really need it to be that clever?
It’s also relevant to watches, bathroom scales, washing machines, coffee machines, ovens, light bulbs and a growing list of household items that originally had a much simpler purpose.
No doubt the technology is impressive but as our homes become increasingly connected, sometimes we need them just to do what they are supposed to.
When smart becomes complicated
The idea of the smart home is becoming increasingly popular because sometimes connected technology makes everyday life easier.
A washing machine can tell you when its cycle has finished, security cameras let you check your home remotely, a smartwatch tracks your activity, and a smart thermostat can adjust the temperature automatically.
All of these features are useful, but the difficulty comes when connectivity is added simply because it is possible.
Not every product needs an app, a software update or another password.
There is a distinction between technology that solves a problem and technology that gives an ordinary object more features.
Another device, another account
There is also a less visible cost to filling the house with connected products.
Every smart device potentially means another account, another password, another app and another company collecting information.
Research by Parks Associates has found significant concern among smart-home owners about the security of personal data collected by connected devices. Its research has also pointed to technology fatigue among some consumers who are less interested in adding connected products to their homes.
This does not mean people are abandoning smart technology, rather, they are becoming more selective
A kitchen scale doesn't need a software update and a watch doesn't need to know how many hours you slept last night.
South Africa’s practical relationship with technology
We have become accustomed to thinking about household technology in practical terms.
Load shedding may be something of the past, but we’re not completely trusting Eskom just yet. Many municipalities, including Joburg, still experience outages and supply interruptions, so electricity costs, connectivity problems and the price of replacing appliances all influence the way we use technology at home.
Something that depends heavily on an internet connection or an app may offer impressive features, but it isn’t useful if the underlying household infrastructure is unreliable.
Also, we are increasingly conscious of running costs in a tight economy.
An analogue appliance is easier to understand, maintain and replace. When it does stop working, the problem is with the appliance itself rather than wondering whether the fault lies with the Wi-Fi, the app, the software or a cloud service.
The appeal of doing one thing well
Our phones already demand enormous amounts of attention with messages, emails, social media, news, banking, entertainment and work all on a single device.
Adding notifications to the fridge or turning the bathroom scale into another source of data can make the home feel less like a place to switch off.
Research into smart-home technology has found that people's privacy and security concerns vary according to the type of connected device, with some categories generating considerably more concern than others.
There’s something satisfying about physically turning on the lights, looking at your watch to tell the time rather than pushing a button or using a scale just to measure weight.
Smart where it matters
It doesn’t mean we should become luddites because there are plenty of situations where connectivity improves everyday life.
The security system that alerts you when someone approaches your property could be a lifesaver; a washing machine notification is convenient when you are busy, and if you’re monitoring your fitness and sleep patterns, the information provided by a smartwatch can be valuable.
The question is not whether smart technology is good or bad, but whether smart is actually useful.
willem.vdputte@nationalmg.co.za