A recent survey in the United States has shown that many people don’t have a high opinion of the devices.
Following an exciting single day of the sales of Google Glass a recent survey of people in the United States has shown that many people feel that wearable technology is actually doing more harm than good.
In fact, 53 percent of the respondents felt that these devices will actually be damaging to society.
The poll showed that many Americans feel a great deal of uncertainty when it comes to Google Glass and other forms of wearable technology. These results were released at a time in which industry giants are working very hard to boost the popularity of these devices. Google and Intel are both pouring a tremendous amount of energy and resources into developing wearables such as augmented reality glasses and smartwatches, among others.
This new survey says 53 percent of Americans fear that wearable technology will make society worse.
The survey asked Americans about their feelings on wearables that could range from mobile devices worn on the body to chips that are implanted into the body. It was specific to the types of devices that continually provide the wearer with information about the world around them.
There were about 1,000 respondents in this survey, among whom there were participants from every state. This poll was meant to obtain a better understanding of opinions on future technology. The Pew Internet Project published the results, which provided insight on predictions about long term human space colonies within the next half century and on whether or not people would feel confident being passengers in driverless vehicles. It also discussed products that are already on the market shelves, such as fitness trackers like Fitbit, or those that are nearly there but that are in the testing phase, such as Google Glass.
Only a handful of years ago, wearable technology would have seemed to be something more of science fiction than of reality. Even today, the tech is developing quickly enough that it continues to hold that type of association. Perhaps it is precisely that link that is causing people to wonder about the impact that these wearables will have on who we are.
Companies will need to prepare themselves for these devices just as they did for smartphones.
Bring your own device (BYOD) programs in companies of all sizes have become very commonplace and now the introduction of wearable technology could be changing the nature of those strategies.
Although some forms, such as smartwatches, may not change too much, others could require altogether different rules.
The first step that companies will need to take when they are looking into allowing workers to use wearable technology on the job is mobile security. This comes both in the form of adequate protection against malware, viruses, and cyber attacks, as well as in the form of privacy of the company’s information. Smartwatches likely won’t offer too much problem in that second category, but augmented reality glasses such as Google Glass or Smart Specs, for example, could allow video recording and picture taking to occur while being completely undetectable to those around the wearer.
This means that companies will need to seriously consider privacy when allowing wearable technology.
At the same time, there are some wearables that could be seen as beneficial to a workplace environment. For example, the number of fitness and activity trackers that are currently available could help to encourage employees to live healthier lifestyles and to try to come closer to achieving their 10,000 steps every day.
Healthier workers mean that there will be fewer sick days required and health insurance claims won’t need to be made as frequently. This also helps people to remain more energized and enthusiastic about their work, creating a much more positive and enjoyable atmosphere overall.
Equally, there is the struggle that could come with actually providing workers with wearables in order to try to enhance productivity. Although it may seem like a good idea to spread these gadgets throughout the workplace, keep in mind that this will add one more thing to the requirements for IT departments that are likely very inexperienced with this tech, considering how new it is to the marketplace.
Companies will need to carefully think through their strategies when it comes to allowing wearable technology to be used by their workers.
