OnlineClock.net has been very busy lately working on our new Word Alarm Clock, which is now available for anyone to use. Like all of our other online alarm clocks, the Word Clock is free and can be used without downloading or installing anything. Also, we still don’t require any kind of user registration on our website…so just bookmark our alarm clocks, and you’re ready to use them whenever you want! (You’ll like the new Word Alarm Clock – it’s a wacky online clock displaying the current time as words written out on the page…please go check it out.)
While we were working on this new clock, we because struck by a question which, though it may sound kind of crazy at first, is actually worth pondering: have human beings become slaves to alarm clocks?!
Albert Einstein taught us that time is relative. We attempted to easily explain Einstein’s theories about time in an earlier blog post. Essentially, Einstein believed that time – time displayed on a clock – is created by man. It is the scientific measure we use to calculate and count passing days, months and years. The increment of one second, one minute and one hour were all decided by man. The earliest forms of time-telling were not nearly as accurate or precise as those used today. Still, man has long been reliant on time. Reliance has only increased as clocks became more reliable. Our focus on this blog will discuss how dependence on clocks has changed over the years and just how reliant we have become on our timepieces – do we control them or do they control us?
The best way to answer that question is in a purely objective manner. One needs only to look around and consider a few different aspects of life to reach the logical answer. Consider some everyday examples that consume a large portion of time each day – school and work. Will a school wait for students who arrive late? How about a worker who arrives to work late? We know there are penalties for arriving late to school. Many institutions give children tardy marks; after a certain number of tardy marks, they may face suspension. This places an enormous burden on parents to comply with time schedules and let the clock dictate when they must leave to take children to school. Then parents must worry about their own time issues. Every adult who has held a job knows that there are rules about being on time – especially in shift work jobs. To put the idea into perspective, take a look at this sample memo to plant employees in the Citadel Military College of South Carolina regarding time clock procedures. Sub-point B specifies that employees must clock in no earlier than 7 minutes prior to the beginning of the shift and no more than 7 minutes after the end of the shift. Later in the memo, it is stated that tardiness will result in disciplinary action.
Taking a side on the issue, Donald A. Norman writes in his study report titled “Human-Centered Design Considered Harmful” about how people wake up to an alarm clock in the morning, regardless of whether or not their bodies are fully rested. In this common example, it is clear who wins the battle – the alarm clock takes precedence over the tired body, all a result of human choice. It seems harmful enough that clocks dictate the hours of the day when people are awake, but they usually dictate sleep, as well. In a publication from the University of Chicago Medical Center, the effects of sleep deprivation are named. This is one of the most problematic issues that people face when they become a slave to time and their daily routine. Norman also mentions that many people eat when it is “time” to eat according to the clock, rather than when they are hungry. Even classes are designated for a specific time frame each day and continue for a period of months or weeks – not because this is optimal for the individual student’s education, but rather because it makes scheduling easier, chalking up another win for the clock.
In today’s world, people must use time to gauge every aspect of their daily lives. Those who take a bus, subway or train in the city to go to work know that timing is truly a science – and not one with much room for forgiveness. They must always arrive before their transportation arrives or they must wait until the next route runs, which may be 15-30 minutes later. This number of minutes is enough to make the difference in whether someone is late to work or not. Of course, nobody wants to arrive at work too early; this would take more of their valuable personal time. Time wasn’t always such a big issue as it is today. In his compelling article titled “The Tyranny Of The Clock,” George Woodcock of The University at Buffalo writes about the earliest clock to be considered as accurate – the Clock of Hampton Court in England. In 1540, this hour-hand-only clock displayed the time. People would sometimes make arrangements to meet during a certain hour, but there were no measurements of minutes added until 1657, when the pendulum appeared. Imagine making a doctor’s appointment for noon in those days; arriving 15 minutes late would likely not mean the appointment would have to be rescheduled, as it surely would be today.
Woodcock points out in his article that the turning point where clocks stopped serving people and began dictating their lives was the time of the Industrial Revolution. In a curriculum overview of the Industrial Revolution by Yale University, the list of industries all have one thing in common – they began to rely more on time with structured order and precision. As goods were manufactured and shipped, railroads began transporting a higher volume of goods and passengers and needed a stricter standard of time-telling. Workers needed to be in synchronization while working at factories that produced the industrial goods, so shifts developed. In order to have a functional team of workers, it was necessary to have them arrive at the same time. Businesses began posting their operating hours so people could contact them by phone or stop in. Competition was a driving force behind the strict keeping of work hours and schedules.
Always punching the clock...why not try punching your boss instead?
In his writing, Woodcock makes a good point that lets each person answer for themselves the question of whether their clock rules them or vice versa. He says that those who do not adapt to the modern world where strict time is observed face “social disapproval and economic ruin” – unless they adopt a nonconformist style of living (!), in which time is not important. His point implies that everyone has a choice between conforming to society’s standards of time to be accepted as a functional being or not conforming, but also not being able to enjoy the same technologies and benefits. For example, a nonconformist who chooses to arrive at work after their body has fully rested, instead of returning to work 6 hours after completing a 14-hour overtime day, would be at the top of the list for a pink slip if the company decided to lay off workers. Those who arrive on time, put in ample hours and follow their daily schedule are the ones who succeed in this society. Staying on schedule is rewarded, but adhering to one’s own feelings regarding time, the workplace and other commitments is not encouraged in such a progressive world.
A world with no clocks would likely be similar to the days before clocks appeared.
And, quite frankly, OnlineClock.net would be out of business – so that would be a very terrible thing to happen!
Time would be gauged on the position of the sun, according to the season.
If Einstein’s relativity theories were made as a worldwide norm and time were not measured or observed at all, there would be little or no order in society.
It is clear that humans need some form of order to keep peace and have a functional efficient society. Most people find that the benefits of living according to schedules, commitments and obligations reliant on time are a hassle, but overall are worth it, especially compared against an orderless world. There are several ways in life to cut out some reliance on time, starting with the elimination of stressful or needless commitments and scheduled activities. Seeking to become self-employed or owning a business affords some people the freedom to cut away from alarm clocks dictating their sleeping habits to some extent. As far as school, there is now the option for college students and even children to attend school online, giving them the chance to get a full night’s rest, avoiding adherence to an hourly schedule.
Clocks may have taken over an authoritative role, and are despised by many people for that fact, but they are necessary in order to keep up in this fast-paced world.
So, in answer to our question: Have we become slaves to alarm clocks?
Sure we have.
But heck, it could be worse.
And Online Clock, uhhh, kind of likes it that way. 
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