Am I Hooked on My Wearable Device?
An atmosphere of feeling of anticipation. Visible is the chilled vapour emanating from my competitors as they execute the "starting line" shuffle on the beginning point.
A rapid twitch of the hips.
I'm lined up for my local weekly parkrun event and I mean business. Three, two, one...
Oh, hang on. I have to start my device. The same goes for the guy alongside me.
The person waiting expresses impatience. I'm not moving until… yes! GPS ready, and I'm running.
Amidst the crowd, it's hard to find a person without a wearable on it. And it's not just us runners who rely on them.
We're witnessing a thriving, multi-billion dollar industry. Names like Apple Watch lead the market, each with an extensive range of different versions to suit a range of budgets. Depending on how feature-packed the model you go for, prices can range from an affordable sum to a significant investment.
"It makes me crazy, I'm unable to switch off."
"It provides solace… It's like a supporter encouraging me."
"I wish it wouldn't say about a poor sleep."
Just some of the responses I've had from other device users when I question what they think of theirs.
The Data Dilemma
My feelings on mine? At this moment, irritating. It's telling me my speed is wrong, causing me to question whether the foliage I'm passing under are blocking my location tracking.
Millions of us attach these small devices onto our wrists and keep them on 24/7, ostensibly comfortable with the fact they're perpetually recording us.
Long past are the days when we depended on them exclusively to give us an idea of our daily steps. Today, they can measure our sleep quality, blood pressure, heart rate variability (HRV), our recovery score.
It's difficult to find a physical metric they don't track.
But can they do what they advertise? And are the numbers we obsess over a accurate representation of the truth? Do they boost our daily wellness, or do the multitude of measurements and motivational messages just increase our everyday anxiety?
A Complicated Bond
"I find myself getting a a little fixated with mine," one user admits.
While she loves how her device records her exercise, she finds some of its other capabilities "excessive" at times - a feeling first discovered during a pregnancy.
Until she found out she could adjust the settings, her smartwatch repeatedly informed her she was not being productive enough. Later on, the watch insists her she's had a restless night.
"I've got a six-month old, there's no point to be told I'm tired," she says. "I'm acutely aware all too clearly."
Is it not possible to just remove it?
"It's possible, perhaps, but I'm in this complicated dynamic with it," she explains. "I value it for its workout tracking, I just wonder whether the myriad other functions it can now do is possibly overkill for me."
Inside the Device
Every device of smartwatch has its own novel way of monitoring your bodily functions and analysing your data, but the majority use detectors on the back of the watch.
They usually shine minute LED lights onto your skin which can detect pulsation, recording your pulse rate. More advanced devices detect changes in the electrical current that passes over the skin to get an idea of your stress levels.
A Fine Balance
One expert says that in general for smartwatches, it's a "fine balance" - while the ever-evolving tech could actually prevent illness, "spotting abnormalities before we feel unwell", it could also turn us the tracked into the "concerned but fine".
He points out that some of the latest wearables can conduct tests like heart rhythm analysis, which continuously monitor how normal the heart is. They can notify if someone is experiencing atrial fibrillation (AF), where there is erratic electrical activity in the heart causing an irregular heartbeat.
This does not automatically signal someone is about to have a heart attack, but it can give an early warning they might be more susceptible of a heart problem in the years to come.
But how to make sense of these numbers is complicated. The expert concerns that as further capabilities are added, people may not be able to fully comprehend their data.
"I have some doubts that being able to monitor so many metrics is such a beneficial thing," he says.
A clinical psychologist focusing on wearable tech echoes this sentiment. A study into the influence of wearable tech on a cohort of cardiovascular patients suggested a noticeable percentage of those who were given devices to monitor their heart health experienced heightened worry and were "more inclined to use medical services".
She noted a pattern with her patients - they noticed a worrying figure on their watch. They grew concerned. Their pulse increased. They got increasingly anxious. They looked a second time, and their reading went up again.
"Upon viewing stats about ourselves that we lack context for then, naturally, we are going to want to know more," the psychologist says. "We check, we re-check - it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."
