Google Glass and dining out don’t mix.

The Daily Dot and various other news sources are reporting another Google Glass user has been ejected from a Restaurant. One would have expected that the Glass explorer might have just taken them off, but apparently he refused, there was a dispute and was asked to leave. The event became public when the Glass Explorer posted on Facebook  demanding an apology and punishment of the member of staff who asked him to remove it. “If the staff member was in the wrong and lost the owner money last night and also future income as well, that this income be deducted from her pay or her termination.“  which seems like an overreaction to a simple request.

The owner of the Lost Lake Cafe & Lounge told Forbes

“We’re not trying to be jerks at all. If you walked in here with a video camera we’d ask you to stop. If you’re speaking too loudly on a cellphone we’d ask you to leave. That should be obvious. With Glass, there should be etiquette around its use, and we feel that in a setting like a café or bar they should just be taken off and not used.”

We whole heartedly agree with this statement. Stop the Cyborgs is not anti glass we just want to proactively shape the norms around it’s use. The issue is simple politeness.  Having a $1000 toy strapped to your face doesn’t mean you have a god given right to be use it anywhere you want. Individual businesses can decide on the kind of environment that they want to create for their customers. Some places may choose to create hyper connected environments  where social media, documenting and sharing is an intrinsic part of the experience. Other places may choose to create secluded environments where the priority is semi-private the ‘in the moment’ experience.

However leaving it up to the market is not enough it is also important for society as a whole that we maintain some public space which is semi-private.  One would not want a world where it is impossible to find a cafe where your allowed to check your email but far more importantly  one would not want a world where it is impossible to have a private dinner, a semi-secret meeting or carefree night out. A world where every moment is surveilled, publicised and commoditized like some gigantic reality TV show.  The former makes life mildly inconvenient the latter makes life intolerable.

BTW if you want massive amounts of free publicity for your business banning glass seems a good way to go. You can download signs here.

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