Meta’s AI glasses have been in the works for at least ten years now. It’s only recently, however, that we’ve seen the marketing for them ramp up, with every other creator posing in the glasses on TikTok and Kylie Jenner being propped up as their latest poster girl.
In response, we’ve seen an equally viral push back, as creators and users on the other end of the spectrum uproar against the expansion of surveillance technology. Meta’s mass scale promotion is marked by something more distinct; the glasses seemingly mark the modern advent of mass-produced fashion technology.
INTRODUCING THE NEW IT-EYE WEAR
The glasses first dropped last September, selling over seven million copies since. Ranging from $200 to $800 a pair, these glasses allow you to capture POV videos, take calls, identify visual objects, and use the Meta AI assistant.
This isn’t the first time the worlds of fashion and technology have crossed paths. In fact, they’ve long been intertwined, with the fashion industry even preceding the advancements of the tech world at times.
When it comes to wearable technology, fashion trends play a crucial role in shaping consumer trends.
Prada launched the world’s first capacitive touchscreen phone – the LG Prada – in 2007, months before the original iPhone was released to the market.
Diane Von Fürstenberg partnered with Google in 2012, accessorizing models with early prototypes of Google’s Glass Frames.
More recently, Hermés collaborated with Apple to deck out their joint Apple watch line. Chanel also debuted their Sound Première in 2024, a tech accessory, made of interwoven leather and encased in a 18k gold plating.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! META IS WATCHING…
Fast forward to the present, after Meta’s initial launch of the glasses in 2021, we’re seeing the company ramp up marketing efforts for its latest collection. Step in Kylie Jenner, their latest brand ambassador and the now face of Meta, in what seems like an attempt to expand its appeal to a younger customer base.
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Even Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is tapping into the Kardashians and Jenners’ cultural capital. Uploading a post to Instagram wearing the glasses paired with a hoodie which reads “Kim is my lawyer,” and tagging Kris Jenner in the caption.
Just take a quick look at the comments under Kylie’s post prompting the glasses and you can quickly gauge how ill-received the collaboration is. Specifically amongst her female following.
Users have coined the product as “predator glasses,” are in shock that it’s even legal and most poignantly dubbed the collaboration as “surveillance capitalism.”
The overall sentiment is that of betrayal. Kylie herself has famously spoken out about how uncomfortable it was being photographed without her consent, bombarded by paparazzi from a young age.
THE IMPLICATIONS?
There is no dispute, the glasses are conceptually cool, but women remain resistant to jump on the bandwagon – and for good reason.
Concerns about privacy and safety have been raised after a plethora of women have come forward, reporting being non-consensually recorded during one-on-one interactions with individuals sporting the smart glasses. Usually in the form of content creators who attempt to chat up these women for views.
The women in these viral videos are consequentially subject to public humiliation, are sexualized in the comments, and are not compensated. It was therefore no surprise that Kylie Jenner’s collaboration with Meta received so much backlash.
A gynaecologist in Brazil was reportedly arrested for recording a patient during a medical examination using such glasses, while another woman in L.A. alleged that her doctor asked her to undress during a post-operative consultation while wearing Meta’s AI glasses.
ANOTHER SIDE TO THE STORY?
It’s important to note that the camera does feature a green light, which once filming starts, is activated. Yet many users have been able to bypass this feature by simply covering it with tape, or even removing the light all-together.
The take away? We can expect fashion and technology to become inevitably more and more intertwined. The question prevails on who we can hold accountable to police the safety and privacy concerns being fueled by the glass’ wide adoption.
Meta, for creating glasses, despite the obvious safety and privacy concerns? Celebrities, like Kylie Jenner, who openly promote the product? Regular users of Meta glasses, for purchasing a product and using it irresponsibly?
There is no right answer. No entity is solely blamable, but instead, it seems more a collection of sources. We often jump to implicate others, but the truth is that calling people out, followed by no meaningful action, gets us nowhere. Perhaps the take away is that accountability is something that should be shared.
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