There's no way to know what's behind a conversation with a stranger before you have it.

They could be your new best friend, lover, business partner -- they could be a psychopath that's going to stalk you for years, or a complete waste of time.

You just don't get to know until you open the opportunity. An opportunity some instantly shut down because the uncertainty is assumed to be negative, or they simply want to be left alone.

I think about this while I'm travelling or sitting somewhere in public. I start a lot of conversations with strangers spontaneously. Especially older generations. But people my age or less tend to just avoid contact. I like talking to people and tend to dive into deep life histories and share interests quickly, as if this is the last chance we ever have to spend time with a precious and important character before they're gone forever.

A visible indicator of interest that's culturally shared would be cool.

• Green: open for any chat by anybody
• Blue: flashed at somebody to indicate interest in just you specifically, with a gesture to accept or decline
• Red: nah fuck off

Could also be Amber, Blue, Green for color blind.

We could also tie this to a wifi signal that gives a brief profile of interests and histories. Which even without ever contacting each other is interesting to me. I like knowing who I'm near, bits of their story as they pass by, even if we never meet. Stories are interesting either way.

Every culture has this kind of gesture, posture, and dress to indicate the genre of human they want or don't want to engage with, and a whole complex toolbox of clear disinterest or actively searching. Not everyone knows this unspoken language. It's not taught. Not always intuitive. Some just lack the awareness or even neuroanatomy to pick up on these cues.

You never know if a stranger you pass by or sit near could actually be very cool or not. Not until you check. A kind of preview system of what you're gonna get could be interesting, even if just a shared cultural signal among a few people online who cross paths in public.