Going forward I'm just going to refuse to talk to anyone wearing headsets. You can stand there and say all you want, if you'd like to talk to me then take the headset off. I sound like a boomer that doesn't understand wireless earbuds that pause and pass through outside audio automatically. I still take them out out of respect, though, if it's anything more than a sentence.
I wonder how it compares to staring down at one's phone though. At least in an AR scenario, you're looking straight ahead right? I can both see how that could improve your spatial and social awareness, but I can also see how you could tunnel vision on your content just as easily.
When you look at your phone, I can tell you're looking at your phone. If you're wearing a headset I have no idea where you're actually looking. And you could be pointing your face straight at me but completely gone watching a video or something.
Eyes are such a fundamental part of human body language. We need to be able to see each others to have effective communication.
I think people would learn to move out of the way at that point or just use Siri to respond. That felt very much like a “first-time” faux pas when he stops on the stairs.