Are ‘glassholes’ making a comeback?

In 2012, Google unveiled its Google Glass, a pair of smart glasses that had been the subject of speculation for some time, with a launch event designed to be as spectacular as possible. During Google I/O, the company’s annual event, a group of skydivers jumped from a plane flying over San Francisco, landed on the roof of the conference hall and rode BMX bikes onto the stage. They were all wearing Glass and filming the scene from a first-person perspective.

The reception was enthusiastic. Those glasses really did seem like the future. Within a few months, however, the project came up against both the technological limitations of the time and cultural resistance: those who wore Glass were not seen as early adopters, or as extremely cool people, but ended up being labelled ‘losers’, if not outright creepy. It was during this period that the term ‘glasshole’ – a portmanteau of ‘glass’ and ‘asshole’ – was coined; it spread rapidly and coincided with Google’s gradual abandonment of the product. That little word marked the beginning of the end for the dream of Sergey Brin, the Google co-founder who, more than anyone else, had staked his faith on Glass.

Fifteen years on, the same pattern seems set to repeat itself before our very eyes – this time centred on Meta, which currently leads the smart glasses market. The company’s advantage stems partly from its partnership with EssilorLuxottica, which manufactures Ray-Ban models and other brands within the group, and partly from independent initiatives, such as the eyewear range created in collaboration with Kylie Jenner.

Meta has focused on fashion, luxury and influencers right from the start. In short, coolness. The aim is to present these devices as ordinary, fashionable accessories, thanks in part to a design that is less experimental than Google’s. It must be said that Google, too, had tried a similar approach, taking its glasses to fashion weeks around the world, even featuring in a spread in the September 2013 issue of Vogue. It wasn’t enough: not even Anna Wintour’s PR machine could counteract the bad luck associated with the device.

However, the appearance of smart glasses is not the real issue; the problem remains cultural and social rather than one of design. These glasses – which, amongst other things, are capable of recording what the user sees – continue to cause discomfort and embarrassment for many people, as well as representing a potential invasion of others’ privacy. Obviously, this does not apply to those who use them whilst snowboarding or surfing, much like a GoPro, but to all those who have used Meta Ray-Ban glasses to harass people or film them without their consent.

And there are quite a few. A few weeks ago, influencer Livvy Dunne publicly asked her followers to stop following her and filming her at airports, pointing out that several of them were wearing Meta glasses. A few days ago, singer Lorde, from the stage at a festival sponsored by Meta, said “fuck the glasses”, adding that she doesn’t find them sexy.

And then there are nicknames and monikers. Whilst the term ‘glasshole’ was all the rage about fifteen years ago, today people talk about ‘pervert glasses’ – not exactly great branding for Meta.

It should be noted, however, that Meta is not the only company investing in this type of device. Snap has recently unveiled its smart glasses, and Apple, Google and Samsung are also set to flood the market with their own offerings. Not to mention the many Chinese brands, such as Even Realities, which offer all manner of products.

And then there’s Halliday, a company that has chosen a different path, offering a pair of slim glasses fitted with sensors and microphones but without a camera. The idea is that users can use them for certain ‘smart’ features, but not to record everything around them. Who knows, it might just be the right way to avoid the stigma of being labelled ‘pervert glasses’.

Or perhaps there’s no hope: some people simply don’t want to be tracked by these things. Tech companies are spending billions to change their minds.