I’ve heard all types of derogatory terms in my years. Funny ones, not-funny ones, misused ones, ones that make it clear the person saying them has no idea what they really mean. Recently, a brand-new derogatory term has been making the rounds, and while I never agree with this kind of thing, I am at least willing to admit that I understand it.

The term is “Glasshole.”

It refers to someone who wears the new Google Glass headset in what can only be described as a socially inappropriate way. This could be anything, really. It could just be an air of smugness, or not paying attention to the world around you, or in what became an extreme case, wearing it to the type of bar where it clearly should not be worn. As a disclaimer, I am absolutely not justifying the result, here, but in my own personal opinion there was an obvious risk.

I’m seeing the term everywhere these days, even a linguistic evaluation of the evolution of the term. Mainly, these articles that use it are telling you how not to be one, which is good advice. I’m still not convinced of the applicability of Google Glass, but there will definitely be an adjustment period as it comes into social acceptance. I even found a blog post where the author came up with a whopping thirty-five arguments against Google Glass. Even I think that’s overkill, but it’s an interesting read and he makes valid points. Will it cause a surveillance state? Destroy what shreds of privacy we have left? These questions will have to be answered.

This kind of thing is not new when it comes to new technology. The most recent comparison is the Bluetooth dongle that people wear in their ear. When they first started becoming popular, I felt they made people look like smug jackasses (and I still do). They’re more accepted now, and similarlyGoogle Glass may become more accepted as time goes on, and may even be location specific; so if someone is wearing them in Silicon Valley, then no big deal. But if they’re trying to wear them around Sturgis, South Dakota, well, the outcome might be slightly different. Additionally, I think they have very real value in such arenas as the military and biotech where they would have actual application.

Be careful out there.