RE: Rant About Technology Use
October 23, 2012 at 11:52 am
(This post was last modified: October 23, 2012 at 11:52 am by Rhizomorph13.)
Well, I would argue that before cell phones, just the regular phone ones that weren't smart, I had a lot fewer people breaking off a talk with me to pull something out of their pocket and turn away from me. No matter how great a conversationalist you are, people will still pull thier devices out to look at them or, in my case, to tell me that my pocket is buzzing and I should check my phone! I always tell these people, "I'm already in a conversation, why would I stop this one to maybe engage in another one? I have an answering service for a reason."
I love my smart phone and feel that it helps me a great deal so I can off-load a lot of important information so I can focus on what is really important to me, but there needs to be some training regarding their proper use in social situations. I agree that when not engaged they are just as viable a distraction as a newspaper or book, but they quite often allow people to disconnect when they should be looking to connect. I'm talking about famliy gatherings or parties. Cell phones are often used to shield people from the very healthy interactions that we all should be seeking out. I understand that it is a matter of choice and I would certainly not advocate their removal from the marketplace through laws or economic sanctions, but I do feel that they do more harm than good. This is where etiquette comes in; which is something lacking all around in our society today.
There used to be a whole body of etiquette to guide us in proper social interactions and while I feel many of them have become outmoded I've grown to view most of them as good ideas in general. Like saying please and thank you for everything. Etiquette needs to be revised though to add proper cell phone use.
I love my smart phone and feel that it helps me a great deal so I can off-load a lot of important information so I can focus on what is really important to me, but there needs to be some training regarding their proper use in social situations. I agree that when not engaged they are just as viable a distraction as a newspaper or book, but they quite often allow people to disconnect when they should be looking to connect. I'm talking about famliy gatherings or parties. Cell phones are often used to shield people from the very healthy interactions that we all should be seeking out. I understand that it is a matter of choice and I would certainly not advocate their removal from the marketplace through laws or economic sanctions, but I do feel that they do more harm than good. This is where etiquette comes in; which is something lacking all around in our society today.
There used to be a whole body of etiquette to guide us in proper social interactions and while I feel many of them have become outmoded I've grown to view most of them as good ideas in general. Like saying please and thank you for everything. Etiquette needs to be revised though to add proper cell phone use.
