The integrity challenge of the Internet-of-Things (IoT):on understanding its dark side

Despite the overall positive feeling about Internet of Things’ (IoT) development, a main risk involves the integrity of the system itself. This paper considers the influence of the IoT on marketing practices and addresses the overlooked area of the dark side of the IoT. Dysfunctional forms of IoT have been neglected as an area of research, so identifying the different types of IoT providers’ dark-side behaviours will assist in the development of an integrated approach to the IoT that will help to overcome or mitigate these dark-side behaviours. Based on an extensive literature review, supplemented by expert insights drawn from the authors’ study of the IoT, a framework is developed that classifies the varying IoT dark-side behaviour types. The framework reveals eight forms of dark-side behaviour that are grouped into four broad categories. This classification illustrates how different types of dark-side behaviours are linked to key strategic IoT processes and also outlines how these dark-side practices may be addressed by adopting a more strategic and integrity-oriented approach. We conclude that with the adoption of a more holistic approach to the IoT, dark-side behaviours can be addressed and move in the direction of more effective marketing practices. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Marketing Management on 4 Nov 2016, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/ 10.1080/0267257X.2016.1247517