alt Hacker NewsGP said the benefits of walking barefoot are "feels good, increases your connection to your surroundings, and slows you down."
In that context it seems like barefoot shoes would still work. They are essentially foot condoms, so you get most of the same sensation without the potential ickiness.
Those are other benefits but the literal topic at hand--and the reason going barefoot was brought up in the first place--is to have contact with the earth.