The last decade has brought about a major change in the diffusion and the role of information technologies (IT). First, they have moved from backstage to frontstage. They are no longer ‘‘only’’ supportive for a firm’s products and processes, but they are now core elements that determine the success of almost any firm in the marketplace (Matt et al. 2015). Second, they have become ubiquitous. IT is no longer limited to the firm, but present in the life of individuals and in the entire society. In fact, there is a reversal in the relationship between individuals and computing resources. The power large computers had some ten years ago is now present at the wrist of individuals and physical objects such as cars and homes have turned into computer systems. While in the early days of computing multiple users accessed one device (i.e., a mainframe or workstation computer), now every single user accesses multiple devices. Following a recent report of the consulting company Deloitte, US households have an average of 11 connected devices (Westcott et al. 2019). These devices are more closely engrained in the daily lives of their users than ever before and have permeated their daily routines. Among the examples are the consumption of medial content, the planning and support of mobility, the monitoring of personal activity, or simply the execution of commercial transactions and social interactions online.

中文翻译：

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生命工程

在过去十年中，信息技术 (IT) 的传播和作用发生了重大变化。首先，他们已经从后台转移到了前台。它们不再“仅”支持公司的产品和流程，但它们现在是决定市场上几乎所有公司成功的核心要素（Matt 等人，2015 年）。其次，它们已经无处不在。IT 不再局限于公司，而是存在于个人和整个社会的生活中。事实上，个人与计算资源之间的关系存在逆转。大约十年前大型计算机的强大功能现在出现在个人的手腕上，汽车和家庭等物理对象已经变成了计算机系统。在计算的早期，多个用户访问一个设备（即，大型机或工作站计算机），现在每个用户都可以访问多个设备。根据咨询公司德勤最近的一份报告，美国家庭平均拥有 11 台联网设备（Westcott 等人，2019 年）。这些设备比以往任何时候都更深入地融入用户的日常生活，并渗透到他们的日常生活中。这些例子包括媒体内容的消费、移动性的规划和支持、个人活动的监控，或者只是在线执行商业交易和社交互动。这些设备比以往任何时候都更深入地融入用户的日常生活，并渗透到他们的日常生活中。这些例子包括媒体内容的消费、移动性的规划和支持、个人活动的监控，或者只是在线执行商业交易和社交互动。这些设备比以往任何时候都更深入地融入用户的日常生活，并渗透到他们的日常生活中。这些例子包括媒体内容的消费、移动性的规划和支持、个人活动的监控，或者只是在线执行商业交易和社交互动。