Have you ever noticed those urban zombies in the cities, in public transport? Don't worry, not the George Romero ones. The white earplug zombies. People listening to music with headphones, sitting apathetically in the trains with an empty gaze, or walking through the streets and running through parks unaware of the people around them. Luckily, they're not after brains, but their lust for social status gives them an almost equal relation to humanity.

Now, as socialising becomes more and more technical – and it doesn't look as if this evolution would change in the near future –, let's think of something to help these zombies find a way to reconnect (if unplugging the headphones is not an option).

The idea

Introducing the social media device. While you listen to music, as you walk past someone, your music blends over with the one that person listens to, and the closer you get, the more it replaces yours.

Think of what this scenario could emerge to, as your device lets you know: You could meet interesting new people who share the same taste in music (wether it's on your device or not), you could literally stumble upon unknown artists and music (a discovery mode, if they're not in your digital library but still are similar to what you usually listen to) or make some real new discoveries (if it's complementary or opposing to your taste). Also, if the music is free (as in free beer), it could be sent immediately.

“#1” share the same taste in music and just met, “#2” and “#3” discovered each other and agree upon exchanging contact information
(hypothetical scenario)
Original colour photography by Andy Weisner

Of course, there doesn't have to be a blending of music. There may be some other kind of notification via the device. And who knows, maybe these emotionless faces of anonymity disappear (not in an orwellesk way).

Problems (and some solutions)

• This would get messy in crowded places, so filtering should take place.
  Only the most likely match should be blended in audible. Other matches should be presented visible on the device, maybe after a short audible notification (like a single sound corresponding to the amount of matches).
• A dating function seems self-evident, but that should be left out for obvious reasons.
  This device just shouldn't be a all-in-one device suitable for every purpose, but an extendable architecture could fill this hole.
• The communication – both technical and personal – must be mutual.
  Even if both persons agree upon meeting, how do you recognise the other one in a crowded place? Interim solution: exchange email adresses, profile pages or mobile numbers (according to privacy settings).
• Securing the device and secure communication will be an issue.
  When and how needs to be adressed, but by any means, the social media device shouldn't become a DRM-crippled device – the more open, the better.
• Ease of use and critical mass.
  Such a complex device must be even easier to handle. If the usage is noticeably more difficult than with an iPod, it's not ready for the masses. Also, a critical mass of users must exist for an instant user experience.
• The biggest (non technical) concern is privacy.
  There should absolutely no personal information be exchanged, as this would only provoke scraping those (RFID, do you hear me?). A commercial exploitation makes sense, but in the same way a user should be able to opt-out from sharing at any time, any user must be allowed to opt-out from promotional stuff.

Logical considerations

• What defines "similar"? last.fm similiar, or The Filter similar? What's a complementary music taste? What's the opposite?
• There should be threshold levels, as there shouldn't be a socialising just for the sake of it, e.g. only blend in if a similarity threshold of 70% has been reached.

Until then

And as long as this is technically not feasible, if you wear headphones: Why not simply stop from time to time and swap input jackets with a stranger?

What do you think? Are there other ways such a device could work? Would you like to connect to other listeners physically?