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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

292 | Information Systems for Business and Beyond (2019)

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

Chapter 13: Trends in Information Systems | 293

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

294 | Information Systems for Business and Beyond (2019)

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

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

296 | Information Systems for Business and Beyond (2019)

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

Chapter 13: Trends in Information Systems | 297

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.

298 | Information Systems for Business and Beyond (2019)

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.

Chapter 13: Trends in Information Systems | 299

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.

300 | Information Systems for Business and Beyond (2019)

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.

Chapter 13: Trends in Information Systems | 301

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

302 | Information Systems for Business and Beyond (2019)

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.

Chapter 13: Trends in Information Systems | 303

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.

304 | Information Systems for Business and Beyond (2019)

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

Chapter 13: Trends in Information Systems | 305

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”?

8. What is enhanced situational awareness?

9. What is a nanobot?

10. What is a UAV?

306 | Information Systems for Business and Beyond (2019)

Exercises

1. If you were going to start a new technology business, which of

the emerging trends do you think would be the biggest

opportunity? Do some original research to estimate the market

size.

2. What privacy concerns could be raised by collaborative

technologies such as Waze?

3. Do some research about the first handgun printed using a 3-D

printer and report on some of the concerns raised.

4. Write up an example of how IoT might provide a business with

a competitive advantage.

5. How do you think wearable technologies could improve overall

healthcare?

6. What potential problems do you see with a rise in the number

of autonomous cars? Do some independent research and write

a two-page paper that describes where autonomous cars are

legal and what problems may occur.

7. Seek out the latest presentation by Mary Meeker on “Internet

Trends” (if you cannot find it, the video from 2018 is available

at Mary Meeker). Write a one-page paper describing what the

top three trends are, in your opinion.

8. Select a business enterprise of interest to you, one that you

may pursue following graduation. Select one or more of the

technologies listed in this chapter, then write a one or two

page paper about how you might use that technology to gain a

competitive advantage.

Chapter 13: Trends in Information Systems | 307

Index

Below are listed terms that can be found in this text. The terms are

indexed by chapter and page. For example, “12-254” indicates that

the term can be found in chapter 12 on page 254. Please also note

that page numbers may vary based upon how you are reading this

text!

Acceptable User Policy, 12-254

Access control, 6-127

Agile methodologies, 10-205

Altair 8800, 1-20

Apple II, 1-20

Application software, 1-16, 3-57

ARPA Net, 1-225-104

Assembly language, 10-210

Authentication, 6-125

Autonomous devices, 13-289

Availability, 6-125

Backups, 6-131

Berners-Lee, Tim, 1-22

Big Data, 4-91, 4-93

Binary, 2-33, -34

Binary prefixes, 2-36

Biometrics, 6-126

Bit, 2-33

Bitcoin, 11-245

Blockchain, 11-244

Bluetooth, 2-43, 5-114

Brynjolfson, Eric, 7-146

Build v. buy, 10-218

Bus, 2-39

Business Analytics, 4-98

Business Intelligence, 4-98

Index | 309

Business process, 8-163

Business Process Management (BPM), 7-153, 8-168

Business process re-engineering, 8-170

Byte, 2-33</p>

Cambridge Analytica, 12-251

Career paths, 9-189

Carr, Nicholas, 1-12, 2-26, 7-147

CASE tools, 10-215

Castells, Manuel, 11-233

Cellphone abroad, 5-114

Central Processing Unit (CPU), 2-36, video 2-37, multi-core 2-45

Certifications, 9-190

Change management, 10-223

Chief Information Officer (CIO), 9-186

Client-server, 1-21, 5-116

Cloud computing, 1-25, 3-68, 5-118

Collaborative systems, 7-155, 13-283

Code of ethics, 12-252

Commoditization, 2-50

Competitive advantage, 1-13, 2-26, 7-147, 7-153, 7-158

Compiled v. interpreted, 10-213

Components, 1-14

Computer engineer, 9-183

Computer operator, 9-185

Confidentiality, 6-124

Copyright, 12-256

Creative Commons, 12-261

Cross platform development, 10-221

Customer Relationship Management (CRM), 3-65

Data dictionary, 4-93

Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom, 4-77

Data integrity, 4-86

Data mining, 4-96, sidebar, 4-97

Data privacy, 12-251

Data types, 4-83

310 | Information Systems for Business and Beyond (2019)

Data warehouse, 4-93, benefits, 4-95

Database, 4-78

Database administrator, 9-185

Database, enterprise, 4-91

Database spreadsheet sidebar, 4-85

Database Management System (DBMS), 4-90

Database, Relational, 4-78

Decimal numbering system, 2-34

Decision Support Systems (DSS), 7-156

Developer, 9-183

Digital devices, 2-33

Digital divide, 11-240

Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 12-260

Disintermediation, 1-23

Domain name, 5-107

DNS, 5-107

Do Not Track, 12-273

Dot-comm bubble, 1-235, 5-109

Double Data Rate (DDR), 2-40

Eclipse IDE, 3-61

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), 7-154

Email, 5-110

Encryption, 6-128

End-user computing, 10-220

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), 1-21, 3-64, 8-166

Eras, business computing, 1-25

Ethics, 12-250

Extranet, 5-117

Facebook, 11-251, 13-280

Fair use, 12-258

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 12-271

Fernandes, Benjamin, 11-245

Findable, 13-286

Firewalls, 6-132

First sale doctrine, 12-257

Index | 311

Ford, Henry, 12-250

Friedman, Thomas, 11-234

Gantt chart, 9-188

General Data Protection Regulation, 12-272

Global firm, 11-236

Globalization, 11-232

Ghemawat, Pankaj, 11-236

Hammer, Michael, 8-170

Hard disk, 2-41

Hardware, 1-15, 2-32

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, 12-271

Huang’s Law, 2-38

Implementation Methodologies, 10-222

Information security triad, 6-124

Information systems, 1-14

Information systems employment, 9-180

Integrity, 6-124

Intellectual property, 12-255

Internet speed, 11-239

Internet usage statistics, 11-233

Intrusion Detection System (IDS), 6-133

IBM-PC, 1-20

Integrated circuits, 2-45

Internet, 1-22, internet and www, 5-111, high speed, 5-111

Internet of Things (IoT), 2-49, 13-286, install, 13-287

IP address, 5-106

Integrated Development Environment (IDE), 10-214

Internet user worldwide, 5-108

Intranet, 5-116

Isabel, 7-157

ISO certification, 8-174

IT doesn’t matter, 7-147

Key-Value database, 4-89

Kim, Paul, 11-243

Knowledge Management (KM), 4-98

312 | Information Systems for Business and Beyond (2019)

Laptop, 1-12

Lean methodologies, 10-207

Linux, 3-56

Local Area Network (LAN), 1-21

Machine code, 10-209

Mainframe, 1-18

Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP), 1-19

Metadata, 4-92

Metcaffe’s Law, 5-119

Microsoft Excel, 3-57

Mobile applications, 3-67, building, 10-221, cross platform, 10-221

Mobile phone users worldwide, 13-280

Mobile networking, 5-113

Mobile security, 6-136

Mobile technology trends, 13-282

Motherboard, 2-39

Moore’s Law, 2-37

Nanobot, 13-289

Network Interface Card (NIC), 2-44

Nielsen, Jakob, 11-241

Non-obvious relationship awareness, 12-269

Normalization, 4-82

NoSQL, 4-89

Office application suites, 3-60

Open source software, 3-71

Openoffice, 3-72

Operating systems, 1-15, 3-55

Outsourcing, 9-193

Ownership of software, 3-63

Packet, 5-106

Password security, 6-130

Patent, 12-263

Patent troll, 12-265

PC, 1-12

Personal information security, 6-138

Index | 313

Personally identifiable information, 12-268

Physical security, 6-134

Powerpoint, 3-62

Portable computer, 2-47

Porter’s five forces, 7-150

Post PC world, 1-24

Primary key, 4-80

Printable, 13-284

Privacy, data, 4-97, 12-267

Procedural v. object-oriented, 10-213

Productivity paradox, 7-146

Productivity software, 3-58

Project manager, 9-188

Programming language spectrum, 10-212

Protocol, 5-108

Public key encryption, 6-129

Quality triangle, 10-208

Random Access Memory (RAM), 2-40

Rapid Application Development (RAD), 10-203

Retail Link, Walmart, 1-27

Router, 5-106

RSA SecurID token, 6-126

Security policies, 6-135

Sharepoint, 5-118

Smartphone, 1-12, 2-47

Software, 1-15

Solid State Drive (SSD), 2-41

Stop Think Connect, 6-139

Structured Query Language (SQL) 4-86

Student Clubs database, 4-81

Supply Chain Management, 1-27, 3-66

Support analyst, 9-185

Switch, 5-106

Systems analyst, 9-181

Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC), 10-200

314 | Information Systems for Business and Beyond (2019)

Tableau, 3-62

Tablet, 2-48, decline, 13-282

TCP/IP, 5-105

Ted talk fibre optic, 1-23

Time-sharing, 1-19

Trademark, 12-265

Universal Serial Bus (USB), 2-42

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, 13-290

Usability, 6-138

Users, adoption types, 9-194

Value chain, 7-148

Virtual Machine (VM), 3-70

Virtual Private Network (VPN), 6-133

Virtualization, 3-70

Voice Over IP (VOIP), 5-115

Walmart, 1-26, 4-91

Wearable, 13-282

Web 2.0, 1-23, 5-109

Web services, 10-219

Website, build, 10-216

Wi-fi, 5-112

Windows operating system, 1-20

Word size, 2-34

World 3.0, 11-236

World is flat, 11-234

World Wide Web (WWW), 1-22

Index | 315