Preventive Socializing
Category: Accessories
Competitions: Taiwan Region
This work is inspired by the discomfort I experience in certain social situations. When I am unsure whether I need to interact with others, I often feel awkward and anxious. As a result, I put on headphones to reduce the possibility of being disturbed or having to respond immediately. This behavior is not entirely about listening to music; rather, it functions more like a way to avoid awkwardness and delay social interaction. The inspiration for the outer “disguise” comes from military camouflage, extending the concept of “influencing perception” and transforming it into optical illusion imagery on leather. By creating cognitive illusions that interfere with others’ understanding, it becomes difficult for people to read my state clearly. The intense and colorful visuals create information overload, triggering confusion and rejection, and thereby increasing the distance between the approaching person and me. Just like putting on headphones, this serves as a behavioral way to delay interaction and reduce the pressure to respond, while maintaining a comfortable social distance. The inner layer centers on the idea of “buffering,” using bubble wrap as its main visual metaphor. Wearing headphones gives me a sense of safety, as if I am wrapped within a personal space of my own. Rather than completely blocking out the outside world, it delays and softens external stimuli. Even when these stimuli enter, they do not immediately become interaction; instead, they remain in a “buffered” state, suspended between contact and isolation.
