The Battle of Concepts: Ubiquitous Computing, Pervasive Computing and Ambient Intelligence in Mass Media

For the past two decades the concepts of ubiquitous computing, pervasive computing and ambient intelligence have been used to describe the Internet of Things. This paper studies how the three concepts of ubiquitous computing, pervasive computing and ambient intelligence have evolved (or not evolved) through and in mass media. It shows how the concepts have competed with each other in an almost Darwinist way. It suggests that by and large the three concepts are described by the same attributes. However, the success of the implementation of a new concept like ambient intelligence in the established realms of ubiquitous computing and pervasive computing requires a closer link to the public.