Innovation Uncensored New York: Google Glass And The Future Of Journalism
Join Fast Company staff writer Chris Gayomali for a live Q&A with University of Southern California journalism professor Robert Hernandez and documentary director Hannah Roodman as they discuss Google Glass' potential for journalists. The chat will take place on Wednesday April 9 at 1PM (ET).
The criticisms leveled at Google Glass should ring familiar.
It's clunky and invasive, to say nothing of the people who actually wear it everywhere.
For journalists, though, it's worth considering the storytelling possibilities a two-way communication channel opens up, which is why this fall, University of Southern California journalism professor Robert Hernandez will be leading a class that hopes to figure out some of Glass's creative possibilities.
Hernandez will be joining us on Wednesday, April 9th at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET to discuss his course's curriculum, what Glass could mean for the future of journalism, and why we ignore it at our own peril. Joining him is special guest Hannah Roodman, a documentary filmmaker based in New York who has explored Glass's narrative capabilities in her work.
If you have any questions, please submit them with the "Make a comment" box below!
-
Hi! I'm Chris, a staff writer here at Fast Company. We have USC journalism professor Robert Hernandez and documentary filmmaker Hannah Roodman here with us to talk about some of Google Glass's more promising storytelling capabilities--as well as the technology's downsides.
Very excited to have them aboard! -
Hello... thanks for having us. I'm Robert Hernandez, Digital Journalism professor at USC Annenberg. I hijack tech for journalism. I have Glass, but I am not a Glasshole. ;)
-
Thanks for having us Chris! I'm Hannah, Director/ Producer of Project 2x1- one of the world's first documentaries to feature Google Glass footage. Excited to talk about Glass + storytelling.
-
by Robert Hernandez via twitter 4/9/2014 5:01:48 PM -
Alright. My first question for both of you is: What is it about Glass that makes it such a compelling tool for storytelling?
-
Really, it's the social acceptance. A lot of people project so many inaccurate things onto the device. They totally get it when they finally put it on, but that's a hurdle.
When I put on the device, I am opting in for the stares and a flood of questions. I'm not a spokesperson for the device, but clearly I am a nerd… and I love nerding out with other people. And I love seeing them "get" the device immediately. Their brains start thinking of their own applications/uses.
That is great, but as a journo I sometimes just want to observe. More people need it, so it stands out less. Bring on the Ray-Bans! -
What ethical concerns should journalists keep in mind while using Google Glass?
-
Honestly, it's the same type of ethical questions that apply to all devices. We've seen these concerns with mobile devices secretly recording all types of moments. (Romney 47 percent, anyone?)
Glass, one can argue, is more public because it is on your face... hell, especially if you opt for the orange one… errr… I mean tangerine. And you can even see into the wearer's screen.
But not everyone is ethical. We have laws to help… but we all agree we wish common sense and common decency was more, well, common. -
Obviously surveillance is a big ethical issue. But in our case, since we had community members wear Glass, we obviously had to gain wearers' consent first. For documentarians especially, the biggest struggle in film production will always be gaining film subjects' trust. It doesn't matter if you use Glass or not, but I think Glass can actually help ease distrust because it invites participation/ collaboration.
Re: privacy concerns- it's pretty obvious when you're recording, so I think a lot of these concerns will go away when people start to experience Glass for themselves. -
In terms of on and off the record, an ethical journalist should -- SHOULD -- be transparent with their sources and their environment around them.
Remember, the device isn't always on (a good side effect from the battery life) and we're not trying to record everyone. We're journos trying to gather information to inform our communities. We're not the NSA. ;) -
The other thing about recording through Glass is that the lens is actually in your periphery, not immediately in front of you. When filming, your line of sight changes, and it makes you look a little weird. Yet another way to detect Glass-filmers.
-
Sometimes I find it difficult getting people to talk to a tape recorder, and I imagine this would be even harder with Glass. What advice do you have for dealing with this challenge?
-
Technically speaking, the audio feature of Glass is fantastic. If you're just looking for an audio interview, and you put Glass on someone, I think they might even forget that it's recording their audio...At least our film subjects did!
-
Great question... that a challenge with any device (mic, still camera, video, notebook). It's all about establishing a good relationship with your source. They have to feel comfortable to talk with you about their story or information.
Until we, society, have accepted these devices like we have our phones it might be a good idea to pace the introduction of the device into the interview.
If you are experimenting, have your source try them on. Let their use demystify the device.
But the mark of a good interview and interviewer is when the source is comfortable and focused on your conversation/questions. -
For both of you: What will Glass need to do to become ubiquitous? Right now it's a bit... shall we say, clunky? Why do you think people there is so much trepidation in its current state?
-
I work at a large paper and have been the only one experimenting with Glass as a photojournalist. What do you think it will take for news organizations to widely pursue Glass (or similar tech) as a storytelling tool?