"Across Instagram and TikTok, influencers and would-be content creators are churning out low-effort prank and pickup artist videos using the discreet recording features of Meta Ray-Bans and other smart glasses. Many of these clips cross from cringe into outright troubling, with creators harassing women, service workers, and the homeless. In some videos, creators pretend to be mentally disabled, trans, or gay just to provoke reactions from unsuspecting people."
"All of these videos have one thing in common: They show that anyone can become the unwitting star of someone else's social media video. Consent doesn't enter into it at all. The glasses' inconspicuous nature is used to create all kinds of content that regularly pulls in hundreds of thousands of views on Instagram and TikTok. The severity and intrusiveness vary from creator to creator. Some accounts produce more positive content, sometimes referred to as "joybait," by complimenting strangers."
"Other videos cross over into outright harassment. Some focus specifically on trying to get women's phone numbers, with comment sections often dogpiling on the women based on how receptive or unreceptive they are to the advance. The BBC recently documented multiple cases in which women were approached by men wearing smart glasses, unknowingly recorded, and later subjected to sexualized and abusive comments online. Other accounts center on smaller but deliberately irritating interactions, like saying nonsense to a drive-thru worker, trapping"
Influencers and aspiring creators are using Meta Ray-Bans and other smart glasses to film low-effort prank and pickup videos across Instagram and TikTok. Many clips escalate into troubling behavior, with creators harassing women, service workers, and people experiencing homelessness. Some creators impersonate marginalized identities to provoke reactions, eliminating consent from recorded interactions. The glasses' unobtrusive design helps such content attract hundreds of thousands of views. While some accounts post positive "joybait" compliments, others encourage harassment, solicit women's phone numbers, and provoke abusive comment pile-ons. News outlets have documented women being unknowingly recorded and later subjected to sexualized and abusive comments online.
Read at Mashable
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