I disagree that I'm missing the point of my thread, I think you are. But you seem pretty set in your opinion.
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Glancing at your Watch, people feel like you're rushing them
- Thread starter iBlazed
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I think with a phone, it depends on how long the glance is. If a storekeeper was helping me, and he or she glanced at their phone but immediately returned to what they were doing. I wouldn't be upset. People need to check notifications to make sure it's not something urgent. If they stopped and started actually reading something on their phone, or started responding, THEN I'll be upset.
Similarly, if I knew someone was wearing a smartwatch, an occasional glance wouldn't offend me. I think if smartwatches become widespread, an occasional quick glance would become considered socially acceptable, if only because everyone would be doing it.
Similarly, if I knew someone was wearing a smartwatch, an occasional glance wouldn't offend me. I think if smartwatches become widespread, an occasional quick glance would become considered socially acceptable, if only because everyone would be doing it.
This thread does raise an interesting ethical question surrounding "wearables".
I don't have my Watch yet but plan to wear it on the opposite wrist from my traditional wristwatch and hadn't really thought about the etiquette implications of owning it until now.
As a physician all of my "pages" now come through text messages. Right now when I'm talking to patients I'll only pull out my phone and look at it after the second notification to make sure that it isn't a STAT issue. I always apologize to the patients in advance but explain to them that I just need to check my pages. With a Watch I may be tempted to just glance at it on the first tap so I really need to be conscious of how patients may interpret that.
While I'm thankful that I no longer need to worry about wearing an old-fashioned "pager" on my belt, I think that it was the least likely to cause patients to be upset if I glanced at it because it was clear exactly what it was for. It only had one purpose.
Perhaps this would be a situation where having something like Google Glass would be less intrusive as it wouldn't be as obvious to others as raising and looking at one's wrist. Privacy issues not withstanding.
I don't have my Watch yet but plan to wear it on the opposite wrist from my traditional wristwatch and hadn't really thought about the etiquette implications of owning it until now.
As a physician all of my "pages" now come through text messages. Right now when I'm talking to patients I'll only pull out my phone and look at it after the second notification to make sure that it isn't a STAT issue. I always apologize to the patients in advance but explain to them that I just need to check my pages. With a Watch I may be tempted to just glance at it on the first tap so I really need to be conscious of how patients may interpret that.
While I'm thankful that I no longer need to worry about wearing an old-fashioned "pager" on my belt, I think that it was the least likely to cause patients to be upset if I glanced at it because it was clear exactly what it was for. It only had one purpose.
Perhaps this would be a situation where having something like Google Glass would be less intrusive as it wouldn't be as obvious to others as raising and looking at one's wrist. Privacy issues not withstanding.
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The fact that someone believes that society needs to adjust to people's rudeness and inability to interact with humans is rather disturbing. Whether you are checking a watch (smart or otherwise), checking your phone, reading the paper, etc, you are sending the message that the other person is not as important as the thing distracting you. A message, by the way, that is accurate, otherwise you wouldn't be checking the other thing. Society is way too much about "me" and this thread is evidence.
I think the trick is to pare down watch notifications to just the essentials: Phone calls and texts from very close friends and family. Anything else can be dealt with on the phone, later, in private.
There are some days my watch doesn't tap me at all. But when it does, I know it's an important message coming from a live person and not some computer-generated junk notification. I actually had one of those arrive on my watch the other day. It was an advert for a free trial of an in-app purchase feature. I promptly turned off ALL notifications for that app everywhere.
There are some days my watch doesn't tap me at all. But when it does, I know it's an important message coming from a live person and not some computer-generated junk notification. I actually had one of those arrive on my watch the other day. It was an advert for a free trial of an in-app purchase feature. I promptly turned off ALL notifications for that app everywhere.
I think the question the person asked came out of general curiosity from the type of response they felt from you that was elicited by the watch, a type of device that is something entirely new on the wrist to begin with!
Yes, that's exactly what I was saying, I completely ignored the customer in favor of the watch. Because why bother reading when you can just make stupid comments without reading?
I don't see why etiquette only applies to people in your immediate proximity, when we live in a world of long range communications. If my mother needs to speak with me and calls, why is that immediately undervalued compred to a friend that happens to be near me telling me about their drinking escapades of the night before? Also as a business owner, calls and messages come to me all the time that often require immediate responses. I claim the right to review the queries for my time and prioritize them accordingly, no matter if they are from someone in fromt of me, someone who taps me on the shoulder while im in the middle of a conversation, or even from a buzz on my phone or a tap at my wrist.
I do think it is society that needs to adjust to the fact that we can connect with important people in our life without direct physical proximity. It didn't used to be that way, and now it is.
When people talk about seeing others mindlessly immersed in their phones at restaurants, I think in most cases that is actually a different thing. Passively browsing instagram or facebook or playing angry birds is a totally different thing than responding to a live-person notification. I completely agree it is rude as anything and the fault of the individual, when they choose to remove themselves from the immediate social situation just because they are bored.
I think the distinction between those use cases should be highlighted.
The problem the OP mentions is a real one. People are accustomed to a watch telling you one thing: the time. They are NOT accustomed to the wach trying to get your attention, and so the act of checking it has the insinuation of boredom or anti-social distraction, and hence the reaction. Once people realize that the watch is actively informing people of messages and calls and select emails, I think this reaction will change. It as the same difference as described above... Is the user being queried for their time, or is the user disinterested in their present surroundings. One is rude, the other -- if not strictly polite -- is at least warranted.
Edit: I'm speaking more in general social environments... Obviously there are situations where it is not appropriate to check notifications at all, and the OP's work environment might be one of those situations.
I do think it is society that needs to adjust to the fact that we can connect with important people in our life without direct physical proximity. It didn't used to be that way, and now it is.
When people talk about seeing others mindlessly immersed in their phones at restaurants, I think in most cases that is actually a different thing. Passively browsing instagram or facebook or playing angry birds is a totally different thing than responding to a live-person notification. I completely agree it is rude as anything and the fault of the individual, when they choose to remove themselves from the immediate social situation just because they are bored.
I think the distinction between those use cases should be highlighted.
The problem the OP mentions is a real one. People are accustomed to a watch telling you one thing: the time. They are NOT accustomed to the wach trying to get your attention, and so the act of checking it has the insinuation of boredom or anti-social distraction, and hence the reaction. Once people realize that the watch is actively informing people of messages and calls and select emails, I think this reaction will change. It as the same difference as described above... Is the user being queried for their time, or is the user disinterested in their present surroundings. One is rude, the other -- if not strictly polite -- is at least warranted.
Edit: I'm speaking more in general social environments... Obviously there are situations where it is not appropriate to check notifications at all, and the OP's work environment might be one of those situations.
I don't think society is ready for Smart Watches. At Work my manager was shocked I was taking a work related phone call via my Apple Watch, it was from a supplier and I was setting up computers whilst talking to him.
On the train, people just stair at me so weirdly because I look at my watch for the time on multiple occasions so I can time my walk / run to catch the next train home from Liverpool Street
Also when changing music, people look at me weridly. I have had a few people talk to me about the watch, but my social friends who would sit there and use there iPhones think its the normal. The difference now is, I hardly ever use my iPhone when I am out with friends, it sits in my jacket...and sometimes I think its lost because its never on the table....
At meetings I glance through emails that get pushed via Outlook App, and people just think I am crazy........the thing is this is the future we are the early adopters........soon it will be "the norm!"
On the train, people just stair at me so weirdly because I look at my watch for the time on multiple occasions so I can time my walk / run to catch the next train home from Liverpool Street
Also when changing music, people look at me weridly. I have had a few people talk to me about the watch, but my social friends who would sit there and use there iPhones think its the normal. The difference now is, I hardly ever use my iPhone when I am out with friends, it sits in my jacket...and sometimes I think its lost because its never on the table....
At meetings I glance through emails that get pushed via Outlook App, and people just think I am crazy........the thing is this is the future we are the early adopters........soon it will be "the norm!"
I talk to my best friend every day on iMessage and I think that's more important than some of the things happening in the physical world around me, so I probably look like a rude person, but I just have my priorities.
And yet you dismiss any opinion that doesn't agree with yours.
It doesn't take a genius to see what communication devices have done to social interaction. First, children are learning to communicate almost exclusively via electronic means. Then, when placed in a social setting, they do not know how to interact. Their device is more important than what is right there in front of them. Society certainly needs to adapt but it's in such a way that they ignore their little electronic pests in social settings and save it for use as a tool to enable communication when not engaged with other humans directly. While there will always be exceptions for emergency type situations, I think the general rule should be that the humans around you deserve your undivided attention.
I think that's you biggest misconception here, and your cause for confusion.
Checking your phone in a social situation is always rude. Always. The only exception is if you're looking for something relevant to the conversation, meaning both parties have agreed that it's acceptable.
Checking your watch constantly is equally as rude. That's the reason your screen doesn't light up until you raise your wrist - so you don't interrupt social situations with your rudeness, but you are now aware of an alert waiting for you when you have a moment.
Nobody is on their "high horse" here. You're just trying to defend your rudeness.
I have nothing to defend. There's nothing rude about what I did. That's your opinion. Apparently 16 people disagree with it.
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Meh. Naysayers have been saying that for centuries. It's getting old.
The worst part is that you actually believe that.
Society doesn't need to adjust; you do. Just because a watch is new to you, doesn't mean they haven't been around for a while.
Like I said, it's equally as rude to take your phone out in front of someone and check it. With the watch, that rudeness now has another factor - are you using it to "check your phone" (rude), or check the time (also rude)?
If it's not a phone call, it's probably not urgent. At least not urgent enough to display your rudeness in front of someone.
Like it or not, you are on your high horse, and you aren't looking so pretty from up there.
Society has already adapted. You've just not noticed yet. Yes, there are absolutely plenty of times when checking your phone might still be considered rude, but in general, it's already become accepted. You just aren't taking notice of all the social cues that have already signified this. Again, just a few years ago, checking a phone in a business meeting would have been considered extremely rude. Today, virtually everyone at all levels does it; it has become an accepted practice in a wide variety of situations. Society has moved on. You just haven't noticed yet.
There have been other threads on this, and this may be an unpopular opinion, but society will need to change to accept it. We have entered the age of wearable devices that keep us connected at all times. This is life now, good or bad, no going back. Just like all things in life don't be a toolbag. Should people be constantly looking at their watch while interacting with a customer? No. Should customers get upset when an employee turns away to do something else and glances their watch? No. When I get my watch I have no intention of not looking at it when I receive a notification, even if I'm talking to someone else. It's just a glance. It's only rude if you break the conversation by responding.
When time was the only info on your watch maybe it was a serious sign of disinterest. But doesn't it depend on the person with the watch and how they communicate? Now in the right hands it's just multi-tasking. You can always include your company in on what cool stuff the watch can do and whatever you were worried will be gone in a snap. Watch or not some people just know how to communicate effectively.
Keep the audio on, if the person you are with hears a notification it's a better indication that you are being briefly interrupted by something rather than looking for a break.