Students’ perceptions towards IoTs adoption: A case study

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) is expanding the interdependence of people, objects and systems. It has enforced the idea of a global infrastructure of “things” networked to enable unlimited connectivity, communication and collaboration across physical, biological and digital spheres. The ever-present internet is the foundation of this phenomenon (IoT) and continues to facilitate innovation in this field. Over the past decade, many forms of IoT have been widely adopted in manufacturing and enterprise spaces, which has led to dramatic changes in production processes and the supply chain. Despite the convenience, real-time monitoring and reporting capabilities offered by IoT adoption amongst individual consumers is unclear. The purpose of this paper is to understand the factors that determine the adoption of IoT devices and/or applications by individuals whether for education, job, security or health purposes. The study uses mixed methods research to examine the factors of IoT adoption by individuals in their daily lives. Qualitative and Quantitative analysis using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) reveals how perceptions of users affect the intention to use Information Technology (IT) and actual adoption. One hundred students from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) participated in the study. The findings of the study revealed that positive attitude towards usefulness, ease of use, user satisfaction had a positive influence on the adoption of IoT devices and/or applications. It also revealed that affordability, basic knowledge, tech savvy attitude, security and internet access influence the behaviour of users and non-users of IoT technologies.