Islands in an Airport Lounge

A few weeks ago, I went to collect some friends from the airport. They were arriving just after 11 PM on a Wednesday night. I arrived fifteen minutes early, in case their flight was early, and settled down in the arrivals area with all the other people doing the same thing as me. Then we all sat in silence, and I wished I’d brought a book. 

Some people would say we all sat in silence because we had nothing to talk about, no common interests to discuss. But I wondered if that was true. I still do. Maybe five of those people are just as passionate about the television show ‘Lost’ as I am and would love to discuss what they think about it with someone else. Maybe two of them were single and looking for a guy like me. Maybe if I’d talked to people then, I wouldn’t still be single. 

Of course I had no way to know if anyone there shared in my interests. It’s not like I was on the Internet. There I can read people’s profiles, home pages, and blogs to find out about them. Or I can simply search for people online now who would want to talk to me. Is it odd that I can find out about someone more easily on the Internet in Texas than someone physically in the seat next to me? Wouldn’t it be great if you could know if anyone in sight shares an interest with you, and whether they feel like talking? But would you be willing to literally broadcast those facts about yourself, in return for knowing them about other people? How about carrying an apparatus, perhaps built into a wireless Internet device, that would let similar devices know your interests, relationship status, and whether you feel outgoing or just want to be left alone? As long as we’re building these devices, it could also signal to everyone nearby when you need immediate help. 

Once we build such personal data broadcasters, big cities might go from vast, impersonal piles of concrete, to a swirling river of people carrying golden specks of accessible information that is both interesting and compatible with other people. Airlines can ask you for this same personal data and seat you with people you’ll actually enjoy sitting next too. Parks could have ‘talking’ and ‘solitude’ sections. (Actually, we could do that now by just putting up two signs.) In a few years I might go to the airport again, with my personal data broadcaster, and find a bunch of new friends to chat to while we wait.