Internet of things skills and needs satisfaction: do generational cohorts' variations matter?

Purpose The authors’ understanding of the Internet of things (IoT) skills and needs satisfaction for IoT devices and generational cohorts' variations remains limited as commentaries are often oversimplified and generalized. This research fills a gap in the literature by highlighting the dynamics between the IoT skills and needs satisfaction for IoT devices and seeks to expound on the variations among generational cohorts using the self-determination theory. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were obtained from 1,245 residents and IoT device users in Aksaray, Turkey. The obtained data were analyzed with variance-based structural equation modeling and the analysis of variance technique. Findings The results demonstrate that IoT skills determine the needs satisfaction for IoT devices. Generation Xers, Generation Yers and Generation Zers are distinct cohorts with respect to the IoT skills and needs satisfaction for IoT devices. Originality/value Collectively, this study provides empirical evidence that informs the debate about the contributions of IoT skills and generational cohorts on needs satisfaction for IoT devices. The implications and several avenues for future theory-building research are discussed. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-04-2020-0144