What is the Social implications of wearable tech?
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Summary
10 papers analyzed
These studies suggest that wearable technology can influence social interactions and behaviors in various ways, including motivating physical activity, enhancing social access for individuals with disabilities, altering face-to-face interactions, and raising privacy and safety concerns.
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Introduction
Wearable technology has become increasingly integrated into daily life, offering various functionalities from health monitoring to enhancing social interactions. This synthesis explores the social implications of wearable technology, focusing on how it affects social behavior, privacy, and group dynamics.
Key Insights
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Motivation and Social Interaction:
- Wearable technology can both motivate and demotivate physical activity through social interactions such as cooperation, competition, and social recommendations.
- These interactions are often temporary and context-dependent, shifting the responsibility for healthy living from professional agencies to individuals.
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Prosocial Behavior:
- Wearable devices like eye trackers can induce prosocial behavior by modifying natural looking behavior, although this effect is transient and can be reactivated by drawing attention back to the device.
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Assistive Technologies and Privacy:
- Wearable devices, such as Google Glass, can assist individuals with high-functioning autism in navigating social interactions, but they also raise significant privacy concerns.
- The tension between social access and privacy is particularly pronounced in assistive technologies, which are not easily addressed within current privacy frameworks.
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Public Perception and Social Acceptance:
- Wearable devices can affect face-to-face interactions, with non-wearers perceiving wearers as more attractive and socioemotionally close, but also feeling lower self-esteem and higher mental and physical demand during conversations.
- Social acceptance of wearable technology may increase with unobtrusive interactions that do not draw excessive attention to the user.
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Group Dynamics and Social Experiences:
- Wearable technology can enhance group experiences and interactions by being designed to be social and communicative artifacts.
- These devices carry meanings about the wearer, such as lifestyle and social status, and can facilitate interaction between collocated users.
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Privacy and Technological Risks:
- The use of smart wearable devices raises concerns about personal privacy leakage and technological risks, including the loss of human subjectivity and the deepening of the digital divide.
- The potential for a "digital leviathan" and public safety risks are also significant concerns.
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Accessibility for People with Visual Impairments:
- Wearable devices offer promising accessibility solutions for people with visual impairments, enabling eyes-free interaction and enhancing their ability to access information and participate in social interactions.
Conclusion
Wearable technology has profound social implications, influencing motivation, social behavior, and group dynamics. While it offers significant benefits, such as enhancing physical activity and providing assistive solutions, it also raises critical concerns about privacy, social acceptance, and technological risks. Balancing these benefits and risks is essential for the responsible integration of wearable technology into society.
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