I am not familiar with goggles being used for self-isolation, and given that goggles are (usually) transparent I question that such an example would belong into a headphone trope.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Lakija
I think that some people use shades in a similar way, but it's not exactly the same thing.
Glasses and goggles are more about being secretive, or withholding information. Example: a poker player wears shades in order to conceal any tells or eye movements that may give away his strategy.
Another example from Where Are You going? Where Have you Been? by Joyce Carol Oates: Arnold Friend, a character in the story, wears mirrored shades to conceal his real age and appear younger, and so that people don't know where he's looking toward. Instead they see themselves in the shades.
A person wears headphones, on the other hand— which doesn't cover their faces— to appear occupied, so that their ears are otherwise engaged. That way, they cannot or will not address another person.
It's different, see. One is to conceal and watch. The other is to ignore and withdraw.
edited 24th May '14 7:46:06 PM by Lakija
It is what it is.
Headphones Equal Isolation is used to indicate, either literally or symbolically, that the character is trying to distance himself from others.
Could this trope be applied to other accessories, e.g. goggles?
For a relevant example, in Yugioh Arc V when the main character, Yuya, is undergoing the customary Heroic BSoD, he puts his goggles on, which to my mind implies he's trying to block out everything around him.
Is this applicable or am I just Square Pegging?
You fell victim to one of the classic blunders!