How to Identify “Truthy” Tech Trends

Do you remember Amazon’s Connected Homes? Only a few years ago, the tech giant touted it as the latest in “smart home” technology — where, for example, you could easily bring your cup to the kitchen, and ask Alexa to fill it. In a video promo, that feature looked pretty cool. When I was invited to preview Amazon’s “Home of the Future” in person, however, I quickly realized you couldn’t just hold your cup to the faucet. You also had to say, “Alexa, tell [brand name of the sink] to fill the cup with 8 ounces of water”. Telling your branded faucet exactly how much water you’d like is not something you’d actually want to do when you’re groggy and thirsty at 2am. But there’s a whole set of technologies like these — devices or platforms promised as innovative, which break down when inserted into our everyday lives. While watching yet another promo for Connected Homes that depicted a San Francisican in a minimalist apartment talking to his AI as the “future” I said to a friend, “Seems pretty truthy.” Originally coined by Stephen Colbert to satirize deceptive beliefs in politics, the tech world is rife with truthiness — attempts to market us a new product or evangelize emerging technology that’s exciting at first glance, but quickly loses its luster when real world considerations creep in. (In Amazon’s case, that includes the FTC hitting the company with fines for Alexa violating user privacy.)

Back Contact Posted by:admin - July 22, 2023, 12:28 p.m.