This blog entry is a tongue in cheek look at what mobile technology is doing to society. Designed to bring a smile, to make you think ... and if you see yourself in here just maybe it will make you change your cell phone etiquette!
Like almost any innovation the smartphone comes with great benefits, but also some serious drawbacks. Most of the drawbacks these days rest with the users of the technology, as opposed to the technology itself ... but the unintended consequences of evolving technology can be "interesting"!
While the benefits of cellular technology are somewhat obvious, here are some things that many people find less than appealing.
- Where has the quiet space gone? It might be in a restaurant, a theatre, a presentation or any public place and he/she is on their phone talking at the top of their voice.
- The art of "conversation" is changed. You sit in a restaurant watching the couple with their smart phones. Each is intently texting, reading, emailing or maybe playing games. Didn't two people out for dinner used to talk?
- The "walk and text" crowd. They don't watch where they are going, they stop suddenly when they want to type or the subject shakes them, they live with this piece of metal glued to their hand and positioned in front of their face. Do you think they sometimes talk to people in the flesh? These people are also known to cause accidents ... most often to themselves!
- The "I can drive one handed" crowd. The statistics are in and they are scary. Despite all of the publicity, and even the introduction of laws banning driving and texting etc. LOTS of people are still doing it. These people are dangerous ... they kill other people!
- The "I don't want to be in this meeting" crowd. If you are participating in a meeting then you can't be also reading email, texts etc. on your PDA! It is disruptive, it diminishes your ability to contribute AND it's rude!
- Here is a good one for you ... phones are dirty! How dirty? A British study suggests that 16% of phones are contaminated with E.coli! (If there are 6 people in your office 1 of you has E.coli on their phone!) That would be from not washing hands after being to the toilet! How many times do you see "that guy" peeing and talking at the urinal? Maybe in the stall next to you? In fact 82% of phones have some kind of bacterial contamination ... ewww, please don't lend me your phone!
