Apple’s popular earbuds can make things awkward when someone refuses to ever take them out — or forgets they’re there.
. But their ubiquity isn’t all upside. They’re also introducing awkwardness to once-standard human interactions — largely because some people never seem to take them off.
Unlike traditional headphones, AirPods are the kind of things you can keep in your ears at all times, and many people do. Their sleek design and lack of wires make it easy to forget they’re resting in your head. And their status symbol shine doesn’t exactly scream, “take me out.” This may be great for Apple, but it’s making life weird for people interacting with those wearing them. Are they listening to me? Are they listening to music? A podcast? Just hanging? It’s tough to know.
The AirPods Barrier, as you might call it, has become a nuisance for everyone from servers to lovers hoping to interact with AirPods-wearers. And while there are certainly more rude uses of technology — try staring down at your phone every five seconds while having a conversation — AirPods are creating new digital etiquette dilemmas.
Strange indeed. And it will take some time for us to figure out how to handle it. “When new things come up, there’s always a period of adjustment in feeling out the new rules,” Berkeley sociology professor Claude Fischer told BuzzFeed News. “Who knows, in 50 years, everybody will have a little chip inserted in their skull. And who knows, they could be watching TV while they’re sitting across from you. I won’t be around then, but people will have to figure out how to deal with it.
Emilio, a barista at a large coffee chain in Philadelphia who asked to be identified only by his first name, is being forced to navigate life with this technology now, like many other service workers.
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