Google Glass: Humanity's Privacy Invasion

As my college instructor, Eric Young, reviewed Google Glass in class, my hands started to sweat.  The all so recognizable feeling of euphoria that's pulses over my body began to surge as I see the magic that is the "next big thing."  Wow, with Glass I can relive life's experiences through my prospective.  Share with others what I see, from my point of view as I remembered it.  Not from some third party perspective or having a hand held device come between me and the experience.

The one thing that technology has never been able to duplicate is the "holy grail" of what makes us human.  Face-to-face connected communication.  Eye contact.  One soul staring into the eyes of another creating human connection.  Although we repeatedly watch conversation in television and in movies, having the actors look directly into the camera is disturbing and only used for dramatic effect.  In the news, although the reporters look at the camera, they do not address us personally or follow our movements.  Plus it is obvious they are reading from a teleprompter.  I would consider video messaging a more intimate way of communicating, although due to the lenses location, away from the screen, the person in cyberspace is not really looking at you.  Even if they were to look right at the camera, they are looking at an inanimate object, void of the energy that is created by interpersonal connection.

With all the technology of the day, when people are in public, there is no longer an expectation of privacy.  Cameras capture our actions in multipal locations throughout our day.  Banks, parking lots, traffic cams, security systems, ATM's, retailers, and the 8-year-old with an iPod, all monitor our actions without us giving it a second thought.  My image and likeness is not me.  Even as I see myself on video, that guy is not who I see in the mirror.  The guy in the mirror looks into me.  He is the same person who looks into others, connecting on a human level.

Legally what we say, and what we publish in print, are two different things.  No single one-on-one communication is ever used to convict someone of a crime.  This would be considered hearsay, or "your word against mine."  It is easily dismissed as "I was only joking" or that was opinion or taken out of context.  In this way interpersonal communication is sacred.  Although the words we say in a dyad may be repeated, the communication and connection of the exchange is unique to the moment and are private.   

I see Glass as more than recording pictures and getting directions.  I see enormous point of view (POV) applications in video games, advertisements, reality entertainment and even porn.  But I see darker applications.  Criminals documenting robberies, murder and rape.  Children and teens watching unfiltered content with no way of parental monitoring.  However I feel the most pressing issue is privacy.

People act differently when being put in front of a camera, and the first thing that leaves is human connection.  Already we are seeing a loss in human interaction as a whole.  Texting is replacing conversation, FaceBook and other social media sites replacing truly being social, and hours of each day being spent with mindless media.  Yet adding something that could inhibit interpersonal communication due to the fear of being monitored could hinder connection even further.  The one thing that makes us human.

I imagine as Google Glass type products become mainstream, we will have no choice but to assume we are always on camera, even in private conversation.  How will this effect human behavior?  Will we have to monitor everything we say and do in interpersonal connection?

As we lovingly stop to enjoy a moment of connection and stare into each others eyes.... is someone else watching?  Google Glass could be the greatest privacy invasion of humanity, and we may not even care, because it is the next big thing.