--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By the 1980s, the wristwatch had become…" description: "\"“By the 1980s, the wristwatch had become, as York University humanities professor Douglas Freake dubs it, “perhaps the most important cybernetic device..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/anonymous-1_day-life_by-the-1980s-the-wristwatch-had-become-a_1693175.jpg" --- # By the 1980s, the wristwatch had become, as York… ![“By the 1980s, the wristwatch had become, as York University humanities professor Douglas Freake dubs it, “perhaps the most important cybernetic device in contemporary industrialized societies.” We were cyborgs of time. And slaves, too, as critics pointed out. Wristwatches may have made us more…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/anonymous-1_day-life_by-the-1980s-the-wristwatch-had-become-a_1693175.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/anonymous-1_day-life_by-the-1980s-the-wristwatch-had-become-a_1693175.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/anonymous-1_day-life_by-the-1980s-the-wristwatch-had-become-a_1693175.jpg) > ““By the 1980s, the wristwatch had become, as York University humanities professor Douglas Freake dubs it, “perhaps the most important cybernetic device in contemporary industrialized societies.” We were cyborgs of time. And slaves, too, as critics pointed out. Wristwatches may have made us more efficient, but as humanists had long fretted, perhaps total efficiency is a creepy goal for everyday life.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wristwatches turned us into time‑obsessed cyborgs, boosting efficiency but risking dehumanization. **In simple terms:** Time devices can dehumanize. Key Takeaway Balance efficiency with humanity. Themes technology efficiency humanity Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - workplace deadlines - personal scheduling - digital detox Key Concepts sociology ethics Questions to Reflect On - Is constant time‑tracking healthy? - How can we reclaim autonomy? A Different Perspective Efficiency may erode wellbeing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cyborgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cyborgs/) [Cyborgs Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cyborgs-time-1075580/) [Day life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-life/) [Everyday life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday-life/) [Important Cybernetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-cybernetic-1075582/) [Societies Cyborgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/societies-cyborgs-1075579/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Wristwatches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wristwatches-1075581/) ## Related quotes > [“You Americans have been blessed with wristwatches but you don't have much time. 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That's adorable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/you-re-asking-the-cyborg-fugitive-and-the-wild-animal-to-be-the/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [“I can take a little beating now and then. I’m a tough one. I’m a star. I’m steel-chested and diamond-eyed. Cyborgs live and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-oseman/i-can-take-a-little-beating-now-and-then-i-m-a-tough-one-i-m-a-star-i/) [Alice Oseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-oseman/) > [“I knew it was a terrible idea. We were supposed to be leaving our past behind us, not fully embracing it. But she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-sobon/i-knew-it-was-a-terrible-idea-we-were-supposed-to-be-leaving-our-past/) [Nicole Sobon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-sobon/) > [It only makes sense that as our society becomes more and more integrated with technology, we'll start to see more cyborgs, grinders, biohackers -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/it-only-makes-sense-that-as-our-society-becomes-more-and-more/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. 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I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Cyborgs quotes > [It only makes sense that as our society becomes more and more integrated with technology, we'll start to see more cyborgs, grinders, biohackers -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/it-only-makes-sense-that-as-our-society-becomes-more-and-more/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [“I knew it was a terrible idea. 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That's adorable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/you-re-asking-the-cyborg-fugitive-and-the-wild-animal-to-be-the/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [The truth is, we're all cyborgs with cell phones and online identities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-johns/the-truth-is-we-re-all-cyborgs-with-cell-phones-and-online-identities/) [Geoff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-johns/) > [We are cyborgs already. If you learn to read, it causes permanent changes to the structure of your brain for your entire life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/we-are-cyborgs-already-if-you-learn-to-read-it-causes-permanent/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [“This is the experience of living full time on the Net, newly free in some ways, newly yoked in others. 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