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Wearable AR in Everyday Contexts: Insights from a Digital Ethnography of YouTube Videos

Tram Thi Minh Tran, Shane Brown, Oliver Weidlich, Soojeong Yoo, Callum Parker

TL;DR

This study uses a digital ethnography of 112 YouTube videos to illuminate how early-adopter wearable AR devices are actually used in daily life, revealing entertainment and gaming as dominant use cases while productivity remains a desirable yet constrained area due to hardware and ecosystem limitations. By analyzing device characteristics, user channels, and context of use, the authors identify enabling features such as virtual monitors and multi-window environments, and document an evolving yet nascent application ecosystem with mixed success in MR games. The work highlights the need for continuity in digital experiences, reimagined productivity apps, and safer, privacy-preserving social integration as key steps for broader adoption. The findings offer practical implications for AR hardware and software design, especially around ergonomics, battery life, input methods, and PETs to protect bystanders, aiming to foster safer, more social, and more useful everyday AR.

Abstract

With growing investment in consumer augmented reality (AR) headsets and glasses, wearable AR is moving from niche applications to everyday use. However, current research primarily examines AR in controlled settings, offering limited insights into its use in real-world daily life. To address this gap, we adopt a digital ethnographic approach, analysing 27 hours of 112 YouTube videos featuring early adopters. These videos capture usage ranging from continuous periods of hours to intermittent use over weeks and months. Our analysis shows that currently, wearable AR is primarily used for media consumption and gaming. While productivity is a desired use case, frequent use is constrained by current hardware limitations and the nascent application ecosystem. Users seek continuity in their digital experience, desiring functionalities similar to those on smartphones, tablets, or computers. We propose implications for everyday AR development that promote adoption while ensuring safe, ethical, and socially-aware integration into daily life.

Wearable AR in Everyday Contexts: Insights from a Digital Ethnography of YouTube Videos

TL;DR

This study uses a digital ethnography of 112 YouTube videos to illuminate how early-adopter wearable AR devices are actually used in daily life, revealing entertainment and gaming as dominant use cases while productivity remains a desirable yet constrained area due to hardware and ecosystem limitations. By analyzing device characteristics, user channels, and context of use, the authors identify enabling features such as virtual monitors and multi-window environments, and document an evolving yet nascent application ecosystem with mixed success in MR games. The work highlights the need for continuity in digital experiences, reimagined productivity apps, and safer, privacy-preserving social integration as key steps for broader adoption. The findings offer practical implications for AR hardware and software design, especially around ergonomics, battery life, input methods, and PETs to protect bystanders, aiming to foster safer, more social, and more useful everyday AR.

Abstract

With growing investment in consumer augmented reality (AR) headsets and glasses, wearable AR is moving from niche applications to everyday use. However, current research primarily examines AR in controlled settings, offering limited insights into its use in real-world daily life. To address this gap, we adopt a digital ethnographic approach, analysing 27 hours of 112 YouTube videos featuring early adopters. These videos capture usage ranging from continuous periods of hours to intermittent use over weeks and months. Our analysis shows that currently, wearable AR is primarily used for media consumption and gaming. While productivity is a desired use case, frequent use is constrained by current hardware limitations and the nascent application ecosystem. Users seek continuity in their digital experience, desiring functionalities similar to those on smartphones, tablets, or computers. We propose implications for everyday AR development that promote adoption while ensuring safe, ethical, and socially-aware integration into daily life.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 57 sections, 2 figures, 8 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related Work
  3. Everyday AR Research
  4. Everyday AR Applications
  5. Digital Ethnography
  6. Summary
  7. Methodology
  8. Video Selection Criteria
  9. Inclusion Criteria
  10. Exclusion Criteria
  11. Search and Screening Strategy
  12. Keywords
  13. Initial Screening
  14. Content Screening
  15. Metadata Acquisition
  16. ...and 42 more sections

Figures (2)

  • Figure 1: The chart categorises the duration of device use at the time of video creation.
  • Figure 2: An example of a realistic day in the life of an AVP user, illustrating diverse applications and contexts where the headset was used. The accompanying bar chart provides an overall comparison of the AR headset and glasses usage across the entire dataset, focusing on space, mobility, and social engagement patterns.