The Camera Lost Its Gesture

Smart glasses replace the notice a raised phone gives with a light the manufacturer designs.

Every phone in this room is aimed at the painting, and every raised arm tells the people nearby that they may end up in the shot too. Nobody designed that warning. On smart glasses, it comes from a light the manufacturer designs and maintains. Image: Charles Platiau / Reuters

A raised phone is a familiar cue that someone may be filming. The cue comes from handling the device, so a person filming that way gives it without choosing to. It is also approximate, since people hold phones up without recording and record without holding them up. Smart glasses remove the need to lift a camera. The wearer records with a press on the frame or a spoken command, and Meta puts a small white light beside the lens.