[忍]

Several pieces of art show people "physically" interacting with AR. My question is why? If you have a DNI, there wouldn't be a need to. You would just think out your actions. Even if you didnt and just had image link, you would need gloves to do anything. Merely seeing AR isn’t enough.
So why all the hand waving?

[Mirikon]

Because that's how humans think.

No, seriously, we are a visual and tactile oriented species. So our first thought when dealing with things is to use our hands to move them. Yes, you can do it mentally, but some people work better and/or faster with the hand motions. Same as how some people are much faster texting with the number pad than they are with an on-screen keyboard.

[Kiirnodel]

Same reason why some people talk out-loud to organize their thoughts or brainstorm ideas (even when alone).

Also, with AR gloves, a person could use AR without a DNI.

[Senko]

I've seen fluff indicating it's not entirely safe/approved of doing this kind of upgrade to kids until their bodies stop growing so they'd still grow up as mentioned in a visual/tactile environment and learning from people used to thinking in that manner. Rather like DND spell casting everyone talks, gestures and uses material components unless they receive training to just cast with a mental thought and even then it's difficult.

Plus you'd have people who still aren't comfortable with cybernetic upgrades because they strip them of their humanity (Amish with modern technology for example or a mage who doesn't want to weaken their magical powers).

[Beta]

And it makes for better art than someone staring at nothing,  thinking hard.

[Ghost Rigger]

I came into this thread thinking that "hand waving" was referring to what GMs do when they want to resolve something quickly and without looking up the rules for it. If this was a deliberate bait and switch on OP's part, then I must applaud him for successfully rusing me in such a manner.

On topic, I'll have to echo what others are saying. Manipulating things with our hands is kind of humanity's shtick, and it makes for cooler art.

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

If you have AR goggles, glasses, or contacts, with AR speakers, headphones, or earplugs, you still need a way to manipulate it - which means you 'physically' interact with it with AR gloves, or my favorite, fingernails.  Even with DNI, keying virtual actions using physical ones, even small ones, is more instinctive than doing it with an action that's a purely mental one.  DNI with a commlink is, I think, relatively rare; most deckers would want a deck implanted, while most everyone else wouldn't want to waste the essence to implant a commlink.  So you're back to doing it all with your external stuff.

[Kiirnodel]

Well, trodes give you a DNI without the need for an implant. And likewise, a datajack is a pretty common procedure for the average wage-slave.

[Mirikon]

Trodes is an option, but it isn't one that is universally used. You're more likely to see someone using trodes when they'll constantly be wearing a hat or headgear of some kind. The trode net is, afterall, a bunch of wires you stick over your head. For anyone but guys with short hair, that's going to cause issues unless it is part of a hat or helmet. How much an issue depends on the field you work in and your social class, natch.

Gloves and glasses are all most people who don't want to spring for a datajack (at the least) really need. Or they just 'see' AR, and control it with their link.

For most 'casual' users, 'hand-waving' may be mandatory, if they can't afford ware (or can't afford the time off to get the procedure done, or don't have a SIN to get it done safely). Even for 'professional' users, including hackers and spiders, that hand-waving is not unlike the hand motions and incantations a lot of mages use with their spells. Yes, magic doesn't REQUIRE gestures or incantations unless you have a Geas, but a lot of people do it because it helps them focus. When you're shaping nonphysical forces to your will, it helps our brains concentrate on the task if we interact with them as though they were physical.

[Senko]

I always thought trodes were fairly common in shadowrun between older people who don't hold with this new dangled implant rubbish (like mobile phones today , mages who would want to minimise essence loss, people who can afford trodes but not implant surgery and the like. Earlier in the timeline they'd be rare and expensive, later obsolete like semaphore or the telegraph today. In the current shadowrun world though I'd gotten the impression they'd had long enough to be common ware but not enough to be replaced.

[Mirikon]

They are common, sure, but you are thinking purely from a utilitarian standpoint.

Trodes pretty much mean you either need a hat/helmet with the trodes inside, or a net of wires over your head. That is fine for gangers, delivery guys, the schmuck behind the counter at Stuffer Shack, and so on. But if you're in a profession where looks are important, then your options are more constrained. Constantly wearing hats indoors doesn't go over well in most business settings, to say nothing about helmets. Even most salespeople in a retail setting can't get away with that. And a trode net will play hell with your hair, so unless you're bald (like that elf combat mage archetype from the SR4 book), that is less than helpful with keeping a 'respectable' image.

And even if a salesperson has DNI, they may use visual hand gestures anyways, because that cues other people in that they're actually doing something, and not ignoring the customer's question.

So while, utility-wise, you are correct, when looking at it as a question of form over function, there's a lot of people who wouldn't be using it.

[Senko]

Actually I was looking at it from a social perspective. In my current job there is a huge difference between the older and younger employees. The younger ones are always carrying their mobiles and on downtime playing games, watching videos, googling things, gambling, snapchating and the like. The older ones don't always have them, complain about the younger ones always being on their phones and are far more likely to read a book or newspaper than be on an electronic device. With the time that's passed, advances in technology and all I rather imagine social attitudes have changed. Today in our world you wouldn't wear a hat inside, for social interaction jobs or in high society or black tie situations to name a few. However in a world where that "hat" could be your link to communications. Records, data entry programs, financial transaction software, games or novels for downtime, news updates, visual imaging and interaction software for presentations and who knows what else I can see it becoming a lot more common and socially acceptable to be wearing it. They'd have all sorts of different options for different events and purposes but you just need to look at fashion over the last hundred years to know how easily what's "in" can change and that's assuming your always wearing the full trodes option as opposed to say just the gloves and glasses for basic interactivity. Even in our world we had fake glasses for people to wear for the look. So yes I can easily see trodes being a perfectly acceptable accessory and even fashion statement with the 5th world people in say the 2080 or 2090s looking back and laughing at how unfashionable those in the 2060 and 2070s were wearing trodes all the time.

[k_night]

I use a smartwig with trodes, solves the problem of ugly trodes and the improved disguise options is a nice bonus.