Twitter-related devices may have finally gone too far with this wearable device that will ‘tweet your hugs’. Each hug is measured for duration and intensity, and then tweeted. In the social media driven society that is our reality. It seems, somehow, only natural that we would tweet our hugs. It probably can’t go too much further than this.
Okay, I guess it could go a little further, but not much. The design was developed by Celina Alvarado who rather enjoys hugging herself. Maybe it’s a little ironic that people sitting in front of computer screens (probably alone), will finally be able to quantify the hugs of strangers. It’s also a little frightening to me that the device “rates” hugs and tweets the overall rating.
Wondering what possessed Alvarado to create such a device? Maker Faire may have been one of the catalysts for this unique piece of socially networked clothing. When it comes to rating hugs, it seems like models and geeks are an unlikely combination – but Alvarado was able to receive and rate over 450 hugs at the New York debut of the device while at Maker Faire.
In a somewhat touching / somewhat creepy explanation of how Maker Faire went, Alvarado says: “I let them hold it. I just supported them. They would decide when to stop. When to let me go. I felt I was theirs. For a moment or two. Or more. Some made me close my eyes and just feel their arms around me.”
Granted, Alvarado is not the first innovative designer to come up with wearable and tweetable designs. A while back, Walyou also took a look at a belt-like device that can be used to allow your baby to Tweet. (In Utero Twittering? Hipsters get younger by the day!) Other designs have included the Twittering sneakers called Rambler Tweeters. I don’t know. I just think the whole thing is going a little bit too far. I understand novelty and all that, but seriously? In utero Tweeting? Walking and Tweeting? Hugging and Tweeting? It’s all just a little too much for me. Maybe I’m just old fashioned, but can’t we just let a hug be a hug?
Celina Alvarado Via: Techi
