The preacher calls for everyone in the congregation to bow their heads for prayer, and in the middle of his appeal, someone’s pants pocket breaks into a chorus of, “It’s fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!” The connection to Heaven is broken as the offending party pulls out his cell phone and starts mashing buttons.
A first date is going well until the man receives a phone call. Instead of turning off the ringer and giving his undivided attention to the lady seated across from him, he takes the call. His chances of landing a second date are tossed in the dumpster out back along with the steak tartare he said was too rare.
A red light changes to green, but the lead vehicle doesn’t budge because the driver is composing a text message. When the person in the next car honks his horn, the driver in front of him stops texting long enough to offer a one-fingered response, demonstrating that even in this age of technological innovation, we can still utilize the most primitive form of communication to get our point across.
Texting while driving. Sending emails while walking. Using mobile devices on a honeymoon. These are among the top pet peeves cited by U.S. adults in a recent survey sponsored by Intel Corporation to uncover the current state of mobile etiquette in the United States.
According to the survey, nine out of 10 American adults claim they have seen people misuse mobile technology, and 75 percent say mobile manners are worse compared to one year ago.
In addition, as the number of Internet-connected mobile devices continues to grow, awareness of how people use mobile devices around others is on the rise. According to a 2011 report from the Pew Intern & American Life Project, 85 percent of U.S. adults own a cell phone, 52 percent own a laptop computer, four percent own a tablet and only nine percent do not own any of these devices.
Genevieve Bell, head of
interaction and experience re-search at Intel Labs, is not surprised that people are struggling with how to best integrate these devices into their lives.
“New digital technologies are becoming mainstays in consumers’ lives, but we haven’t yet worked out for ourselves, our families and our communities what the right kinds of behaviors and expectations will be. Our appropriate digital technology behaviors are still embryonic,” she says in a press release Intel issued in February.
While connectivity at one’s fingertips has enabled people to be more productive, how people use technology in the presence of others can lead to frustration. The majority of U.S. adults surveyed (92 percent) agree that they wish people practiced better etiquette when it comes to using their mobile devices in public. Also, roughly one in five adults (19 percent) admits to poor mobile behavior but continues their behavior because everyone else is doing it.
The desire to be more connected to family, friends and co-workers contribute to an innate need to have mobile devices available all day, every day. In fact, one in five adults admits to checking their mobile devices before they get out of bed in the morning.
With a choice of small and powerful mobile devices on the market, people can take their devices with them wherever they go, making it easy to commit “public displays of technology.” The survey revealed that U.S. adults see an average of five mobile offenses every day, and top mobile pet peeves remain unchanged from Intel’s first examination of the state of mobile etiquette in 2009. The top mobile etiquette gripes continue to be the use of mobile devices while driving (73 percent), talking on a device loudly in public (65 percent), and using a mobile device while walking down the street (28 percent).
Author and etiquette expert Anna Post of The Emily Post Institute says the premise of etiquette and how people socialize with one another is not a new concept.
“Whenever we interact with another person directly or through the use of mobile technology, etiquette is a factor. We can all be more cognizant of how we use our mobile technology and how our usage may impact others around us,” she says in the press release.
Post offers these tips to those who use mobile devices on a daily basis:
• If you don't like the bad behavior of others, practice what you preach.
• Give your full attention to those you are with, such as when in a meeting or on a date.
• Before making a call, texting, or emailing in public, consider if your actions will impact others. If they will, reconsider, wait, or move away first.
• Talk with your family, friends and colleagues about ground rules for mobile device usage during personal time.
• Some places should stay private. In other words, don't use a mobile device while using a public restroom.