Do you have the time? Sure, and lots of other things too
What would you like to know, dear stranger? I hope my smart watch has had the latest update.
Do you have the time? A very polite question answered by generations of wrist-watch wearers in an instant, after a brief glance at…one’s wrist, of course.
The left wrist or the right one, according to personal preferences. In a more distant past, the watch would live in the waistcoat pocket or on the belt, when not pinned like a brooch or hanging on a necklace chain, like a pendant.
Before asking, the “time-seeker” would try and identify the presence of the watch, for a quick information win, rather than approach someone else.
As some things always stay the same, asking for the time has not changed. Despite a more and more affordable price, not everyone has a watch or always wears one.
When mobile phones appeared, they replaced the need for a conventional timepiece. Telling the time became part of the engineering make-up. Despite such strong challenge, wrist watches did not go away.
The smart watch was born, to be worn on the same old wrist, and with incredible powers too. It is a computer in its own rights. An under-utilised one too.
“Do you have the time” is no longer the only possible question. How about “Is it going to rain” or “Can you check this for me online, it’s urgent” ?
It does seem a bit too intrusive to go beyond the age-old request. It won’t stay like that forever. Just look at how many people are reading what’s on other people’s mobile screens, if they get a chance (note: to be historically accurate, before lockdowns and “social distancing”, the current state of affairs).
Technology is redefining privacy, and it’s not just cookies.
