The scary side of freedom

When surfing the internet, I often feel chained to the computer.  The computer is where the internet stays, and thus where Gmail, Cracked, and Youtube stay.  But with the advent of smartphones, it is becoming easier and easier to surf the web on the go.  And now, with Android phones supporting Flash-based websites, more and more sites are becoming available to the traveling internet enthusiast.  Of course, the world won’t be satisfied with this for very long, and smartphones may be on their way out pretty soon.

Google expects to be rolling out the first version of their augmented reality glasses sometime in late 2012, and with the modern world’s obsession with convenience and speed, they will very likely be quickly adopted.  The glasses will have similar functions to smartphones, but instead of being confined to the screen, the glasses will superimpose images on the user’s surroundings.  Sound creepy yet?  Chew on this:  Google glasses will be able to access social networks such as Facebook and Google +, and they’ll have facial recognition.  This is a deadly combination.  Imagine, anyone walking down the street will be able to simply ask the glasses to identify a person, and then carry out a search on a social networking site or other collection of personal data to find out almost anything they want about that person.  Not only is that extremely unsettling, but it’s also dangerous.  It is extremely easy to find people’s addresses on the internet, and phone numbers are just as easy, if not easier, to find.  Stalkers are gonna have a field day with this.

That’s bad enough, but there’s plenty more nightmare fuel where that comes from.  Google makes the majority of their money from advertising, and what do you get when you put augmented reality and advertising together?  Advertisements on every surface.  This is sounding more dystopian by the minute.

And don’t think this’ll just be  a thing that a few people will be using.  Google has an immense reach, owning 41 of the 100 most visited websites in the U.S. according to Netcraft, so it won’t be long before the masses adopt Google glasses.  Google will even be making a version of the device for use as an addition to prescription glasses, so people who require eye correction will be able to jump on the bandwagon too.

There you have it.  Disturbingly easy people search, intrusive advertising, and a userbase that will undoubtedly grow to immense proportions very quickly.  This is where our obsession with convenience will lead us, and there’s no one who can stop it.