Social Media Vest Translates Likes Into Hugs
Okay, this is just bizarre: if getting a “like” on Facebook doesn’t make you feel warm and fuzzy enough, how about an inflatable vest that gives you a “hug” every time you get the stamp of social media approval?
Yes, it’s a real thing, or rather will be soon, thanks to MIT researchers Andy Payne and Phil Seaton and artist Melissa Kit Chow. While it’s unclear if the “Like-A-Hug” vest will ever go to commercial production, Chow describes the concept thusly: “Like-A-Hug is a wearable social media vest that allows for hugs to be given via Facebook, bringing us closer despite physical distance. The vest inflates when friends ‘Like’ a photo, video, or status update on the wearer's wall, thereby allowing us to feel the warmth, encouragement, support, or love that we feel when we receive hugs. Hugs can also be sent back to the original sender by squeezing the vest and deflating it.”
According to Chow, “The project was done as an exercise and exploration in shape display. We came up with the concept over a casual conversation about long-distance relationships and the limitations of video chat interfaces like Skype. The concept of telepresence arose, and we toyed with the idea of receiving hugs via wireless technology. The result was Like-A-Hug.”
While social media wasn’t actually integral to the original concept, it definitely gives it that extra push to go from “weird” to “really weird.” Chow notes: “Connecting it to Facebook conceptually was simply a way to explore how social media might push past the traditional graphic user interface (GUI).” Which is putting it mildly.
Recent Social Media & Marketing Daily Articles
-
Two Out of Three Aussie Tweens Use Social Media May 23, 5:11 p.m.
Even though children below age 13 aren’t supposedly allowed on most social media sites, 67% of ...
-
Moms More Likely to Share Online, Media and Tech Fav Subjects May 22, 4:46 p.m.
Moms are more likely to share online content on social media, according to a new survey ...
-
Teens Don't Mind Advertisers Getting Personal Info May 21, 3:52 p.m.
While regulators, legislators and activists wring their hands about social media advertising and privacy issues, one ...
-
Social Nets Going to the Dogs, or Vice Versa May 20, 3:19 p.m.
Dogs are social animals, and some are doubtless the most important relationship in their owners’ lives; ...
-
Young Celebs Knock Social Media May 17, 3:12 p.m.
I don’t normally write about what celebrities are saying or doing, because I frankly don’t care. ...
-
Rise in Plastic Surgery Attributed to Social Media May 16, 12:32 p.m.
Social media seems to be driving an increase in plastic surgery, according to an annual survey ...
-
One in Three Social Marketers Dissatisfied with Results May 15, 11:38 a.m.
One in three marketers who use social media for advertising say they aren’t satisfied with the ...
-
Younger Investment Pros Get Info from Social Media May 14, 4 p.m.
Younger investment professionals are more likely to use social media as a source of information for ...
-
Moms Stressed Out by Pinterest May 13, 4:06 p.m.
While Pinterest might seem like a place for caring and sharing, the female-dominated social network is ...
-
Social Media Makes It Harder to Move On When Relationships End May 10, 12:49 p.m.
Whether you are dumped or the dumper, most people will readily agree that it’s difficult to ...
1 comment on "Social Media Vest Translates Likes Into Hugs".
Leave a Comment