Through the Looking Glass: The Impact of Google Glass on Perceptions of Face-to-Face Interaction

• In Event: Behavioral and Perceptual Outcomes of Social Media Use

Abstract

Advancements in wearable technology have allowed for social information to be inserted directly (albeit conspicuously) into face-to-face interactions. One example is Google Glass, worn similar to a pair of eyeglasses but with a persistent digital display which can provide the wearer with extra-dyadic cues – such as social information (culled from social media programs) – about one’s conversation partners. The current study simulated a fictitious “Looking Glass” program that (a) auto-detects (via facial recognition) one’s partner and (b) displays that person’s last 12 social media posts on Glass. In a randomized case/control experiment, non-wearers were more likely to perceive Glass-wearers as physically attractive and socio-emotionally close, while feeling lower self-esteem and having higher mental and physical demand with the conversation. Open-ended data suggested Glass wearers to be less attentive to the conversation, and Glass-present conversations were less on-topic. These data hold implications for future application and research on cyborgic face-to-face interactions.

Authors

• Nicholas David Bowman, West Virginia U

• Jaime Banks, West Virginia University

• David Keith Westerman, North Dakota State U