Take It Off
Over the past decade, extreme sports have become extremely popular. And so have extreme injuries. Between 2000 and 2011, more than four million injuries were attributed to extreme sports. It’s probably no coincidence that the popularity of streaming video has exploded during the same period. Here’s Dr. Vani J. Sabesan: “Young people often lack judgment. They see snowboarder Shaun White take the sport to a whole new level, and some kids try to emulate his tricks. In effect, the culture says it’s O.K. to try this.” And culture also says it’s better than O.K. to share your extreme exploits on YouTube.
+ The wearable camera has become a nearly ubiquitous item on the extreme athlete’s list of essential gear. Sometimes, a camera encourages a person to take extra risk. And sometimes the camera itself can be what causes an accident. From Outside: The Danger Zone.
+ Aside from cameras, the wearable market has been more promise than reality. A third of consumers abandon their wearable devices. Is that because the early wearables just aren’t that good? Or is it because the phone in our pocket already provides more connectivity than we need?