I’ve never quite got on board with people that film everyday social bike rides. It feels like an odd part of the social media and Strava age to show off fairly ordinary spins.
However, my confusion has turned more to discomfort in the age of Meta AI glasses. They’re already controversial – the gadget has already been banned by UK pub chain Wetherspoons, with women’s rights campaigners also raising issues about their potential use for harassment.
I can understand why people might want to have a continuously-running camera to ward off or document bad driving, and I can also appreciate the desire to film iconic climbs or special events. But a casual Sunday spin? That seems off. When are you going to sit back and watch all four hours of your weekend club run?
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News editor at Cycling Weekly, Adam brings his weekly opinion on the goings on at the upper echelons of our sport. This piece is part of The Leadout, a newsletter series from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. As ever, email adam.becket@futurenet.com – should you wish to add anything, or suggest a topic.
This behaviour was mystifying to me when it was GoPros or Insta360s bolted onto people’s handlebars, but with the advance of the Oakley Meta Vanguards, there has been a shift in the culture of filming.
The smart glasses, introduced last year, are the cycling version of Meta Glasses, one of the stories of the summer. These shades are more than just cameras, they function as headphones and sunglasses too, but it is the hands-free POV camera which has continued to make me feel uncomfortable. The fact that they cost £500 also makes me more than little uncomfortable at rampant consumerism, but that’s for another time.
The difference between these and the traditional cycling camera comes in its covert nature. If you weren’t attuned with the latest in gadgets, or alerted by the wearer, then you might have no idea that the person you are riding with has the ability to film you at any point, without you even realising. Not only does it feel like we’re being sold a product that until it existed, we had no need for, but one which has created a whole conversation around privacy and consent. This is bigger than cycling, concerns raised by campaign groups include harassment, invasion of privacy; taking someone’s agency away with the gadget on your face.
Taking a photo on your camera or phone is one thing, the action can be spotted and avoided if you want, but you might just end up cycling in front of someone with a semi-secret camera built into their sunglasses, and you won’t know until or unless you see the videos later on Strava.
That’s not to suggest that cyclists wearing Oakley Meta Vanguards are doing so for nefarious reasons, I’m sure that the vast majority just enjoy the technology, like buying the latest things, and/or want to up their Strava kudos count by posting visual evidence of their ride. But I personally don’t want to be unknowingly recorded while I’m riding my bike, I just want to focus on my pedalling and getting up the next hill; I doubt I’m alone in that.
Perhaps you’ve got a pair, and are unaware of the potential ethical questions that arise when filming others without letting them know beforehand. Think about it, next time you tell your glasses to film. Maybe I’ve grown grumpy at 31, but what’s wrong with a normal pair of sunglasses? Take a photo if you want, but let me know if you’re going to start filming.
This piece is part of The Leadout, the offering of newsletters from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here.
If you want to get in touch with Adam, email adam.becket@futurenet.com.
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