TL;DR by CuriousCats.ai
Zuckerberg unveils Muse charm device
- After backlash against Meta’s so-called “pervert” smartglasses, Mark Zuckerberg launched the Muse “charm” device, which has drawn comparisons with Tamagotchis due to its cutesy avatar screen.
- The Muse device is packed with technology and can perform tasks like answering emails, booking travel, or doing weekly food shopping.
- According to Katie Seaborn, a Cambridge associate professor researching cuteness, the device is cute because it “basically looks like a baby”.
- Joshua Paul Dale, professor at Chuo University in Tokyo, notes that Meta also introduced smartglasses with no camera, shifting agency to a charm worn around the neck, which is a significant move since “everyone hates cameras in smartglasses”.
- Dale explains that Meta aims to make Muse a companion by using a simplified 2-inch screen to encourage anthropomorphising the avatar, treating it as human despite knowing it’s not.
Context on cuteness and technology
- Seaborn calls the cuteness “strategic”, emerging naturally from controversy because cuteness is “so weak” and signals “Don’t worry about it. You can trust us.”
- Seaborn notes that using cuteness makes sense from a big tech perspective as people may be getting wise to current strategies regarding attention and personal data, so companies are trying new approaches.
- Seaborn highlights that cuteness is normal in Japan, where every organisation has a cute mascot, and there is a “natural link between cuteness and deception” – she calls it “charming and disarming” because cuteness unconsciously lowers our guard.
CuriousCats Full Story
Key Insight
“The Muse's 2-inch screen encourages users to anthropomorphize the avatar, turning it into a companion, says Joshua Paul Dale. Katie Seaborn notes cuteness is 'strategic' and 'very normal in Japan,' where every organization has a mascot, and it lowers our guard.”
CuriousCats studied:
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The Guardian
The Guardian“After the recent backlash against Meta’s so-called “pervert” smartglasses, this week Mark Zuckerberg launched a much cuter alternative: the Muse “charm” device.”
The Guardian →
