There used to be a time when waiting in line or riding the bus or basically any moment of idleness couldn't be filled by absently scrolling through random apps on your phone. If you planned ahead, maybe you would have a book to read.
But usually, that time was spent staring off into space and absently noticing the strange things around you. You would wonder what some widget or doohickey was for, but it was always an idle wonder.
Now you can google it, or if that fails, snap a pic on your phone an ask the experts in the r/whatisthisthing subreddit for help.