Interacting with people wearing AirPods while running or biking

[jeff1 (Jeff Hecht)]

@ace

Well, actually, I do. As a runner, I find it off-putting when you can’t communicate with someone near you because they have AirPods in. I sometimes say “Hi!” a little loudly to see if I can make them startle. It’s like in Star Trek when the characters wander around a Borg ship and get ignored completely.

Tonya was telling me that at Cornell, well over half the students are looking at their phones, often with earbuds in, while walking around campus.

As a bicyclist, I find people walking on bike paths who can’t hear me coming downright dangerous. I ring my bell when I come up behind them, and some people thank me for the gentle alert. With people wearing AirPods or absorbed in their phones, I have to warn them vocally and often loudly to avoid hitting them.