Google Glass & Civilian Drones: Future Tools for Storytelling

How These Two Emerging Technologies Can Help Enhance Journalism in 2014 and Beyond

One of the trending expectations for 2014 is the introduction of two emerging technologies to the mass market: Google Glass and civilian drones. As a photographer and aspiring professional documentary journalist/filmmaker, what excites me the most about these two technologies is their potential to revolutionize the way people shoot photos and videos, similar to how the GoPro camera has revolutionized action videography in recent years.

However, unlike GoPro, Google Glass not only augments your worldly perspective with rich information at a glance, it also shines at instantly capturing fleeting moments thanks to its integrated camera. And while Google Glass may share GoPro’s ability to shoot first-person perspective video, what truly separates Glass is threefold (and then some): its ease of capturing photos and videos, unobtrusiveness, and integration with your phone.

Ease of capturing photos and videos

It’s really as simple as a voice command, wink, or button press. The camera is already aimed at your subject(s) since you wear it on your face. No need to pull it out of your pocket like a phone or get it ready like a GoPro.

Imagine how much easier it will be to capture protests, disasters, wars, major events, breaking news, interviews, and so forth. And because of the lack of effort required, Glass allows you to take on an almost simultaneous role of bystander and citizen (or professional) journalist. It’s remarkable.

Nevertheless, there is one slight drawback: camera quality. Compared to a GoPro or even your phone, Glass lacks quality optics. But while you may not want to shoot a full-length film with its 720p resolution/5 megapixel camera, at least its great for getting some pretty amazing first-person footage.

Unobtrusiveness

Despite the palpable nerdiness of Google Glass, you have to admit it isn't so much in your face as it is on your face. For better or worse, no more will you look like a tourist flailing your camera about like it’s some sort of prop in a robot dance. Glass allows you to simply focus on what’s happening in front of you, disappearing in the process. It’s magical.

Then of course, there’s the question of privacy. Glass has become quite the controversial device since its introduction. How unobtrusive is too unobtrusive? And as a journalist you have to keep in mind the rules on consent, if any, before using your footage for a story. Regardless, I’m sure we can all expect a few new Google Glass-related rules and regulations in the near future that also relate to matters such as driving with Glass or wearing Glass in certain places.

Integration with your phone

Not so much a feature as a condition for its usefulness. Google Glass necessitates having a cell phone. It’s not meant to replace your phone, but merely augment it. I guess the most apparent reason is data. With data (or WiFi), it then becomes possible to live-stream (in addition to all of the other features of Glass) or upload and share media across the web.

With that said, don't just take my word for it. Here’s how Kristin Bergman of Digital Media Law Project describes Google Glass as a valuable tool for journalism:

An easily accessible, lightweight, head-mounted device, Glass provides journalists with the opportunity to instantly capture moments that other devices may be too slow to capture or in which other devices are too dangerous to use. This can even improve interviewing by eliminating the need for notetaking by hand and allowing for on-the-spot research, and may speed up the process of relating breaking news to the public. In addition, built-in features that allow for quick and subtle Google searches, translations, and more, can contribute to more opportunities and more accuracy in news reporting. The technology even has the potential for collaborative reporting. If Glass becomes compatible with Google Hangouts, we can envision viewers chiming in to streaming discussions with their own point of view footage.