by Aaron Rosa
Introduction
As Augmented Reality (AR) tentatively moves from obscurity to ubiquity, we find ourselves constantly enticed by the purported capabilities and glossy demonstration videos of this technology. While major corporate players seek to establish unique identities in this emerging information space, their design fictions focus on a product’s ability to improve everyday activities. By using images of comfort, convenience, and efficiency, the companies seeking to monetize Augmented Reality tend to gloss over AR’s potential to create distraction, disinformation, and delusion. As we begin to recognize the capacity for AR technology to obscure or eliminate elements of the real and the digital, we open up a new space for examination Occlusive Reality.(continue…)