Don't buy AR glasses

Avoid purchasing augmented reality (AR) glasses. The rampant gamification of the Temu app highlights the potential future of web and app design, as seen in the film Idiocracy. Companies and individuals who have transformed the web into a chaotic, advertisement-filled experience are poised to replicate this approach in AR, should it gain mainstream acceptance.

There is no tangible motivation to acquire an AR device, aside from temporary conveniences. You do not need an AR device and cannot become dependent on one before purchase. Thus, refrain from buying one!

It is not customary to carry a phone constantly. Most of the time, it should be in your pocket. However, using phones during dinner or while crossing the street is considered poor etiquette. Glasses designed for prolonged wear will create the expectation of constant usage, leading to a similar expectation for AR glasses. Will you accept the dystopian outcome of the modern attention economy imposed upon your face?

Will you endure ads flooding your field of vision all day? Why subject yourself to this? Even if you currently possess an AR device and enjoy a well-curated experience, how long will this last? The web did not deteriorate overnight; it gradually became what it is today. Enshittification, the process of degradation, will inevitably occur in AR as well.

Pop-up windows, once a nuisance in the 90s and 2000s, eventually found their way into web pages themselves. This is a trend that will likely follow AR, breaking free from the constraints of the browser window and invading the real world. Are you comfortable with real-world pop-ups? Do you find this idea absurd?

Although I am uncertain about the specific mechanisms, timing, or extent of this transformation, Apple, Google, and Meta are undoubtedly developing frameworks for businesses to display arbitrary interfaces, ads, and pop-ups in their environments. This trend will undoubtedly spiral out of control. The web is on track to become a cyberpunk dystopia, and you must resist. If these companies intend to envelop you in such a dystopian reality, they should be compelled to drag you in kicking and screaming.