Attention BlackBerry addicts, iPhone fans and Palm Pre enthusiasts: this rant is for you.
Nearly everyone has a smartphone, giving you unlimited access to email, Twitter, Facebook, websites and apps. All. The. Time. As handy as these amazing pieces of technology are, sometimes you need to give your thumbs a rest. There’s a time and a place for everything, so give it a break and listen to our tips:
Dinner – Dinner with someone special (friends, lovers, parents) should include great food, delicious drinks and stimulating conversation. It should not include cell phones. Texting or emailing during dinner is rude. Remember your manners, and engage with the person sitting across the table. It shouldn’t be that hard. Consider the dinner table a phone-free zone.
Are their phones more fun than each other? Image source.
Sidewalk – Sidewalks are meant for walking. So long as you are walking, we aren’t complaining. Stop walking, and you’ll likely hear from us (remember this post?). We have people to see and things to do; we don’t let texters stand in our way. Please do not stop to answer 20 emails in the middle of the sidewalk. Your fellow pedestrians will thank you.
Streetcar – The streetcar is not the place to make your private life public. Your BFF may have gone wedding crazy, and your bridesmaid dress may be a hideous chartreuse that doesn’t work with your (or anyone’s) skin tone, but this does not mean you need to share the news with half the city over the phone. Public transportation is just that – public. Save your private life for private conversations. Transit is a GREAT time to check that email or text away. Provided that you are alone. If you’re riding with a friend, try to give them a little more than a distracted “um…yeah…sounds…..great”.
Movies – While you may not care to last a full hour and a half without BBM’ing, there are others who paid $14 to actually watch the film. Your phone not only lights up the dark theatre, but the clicking of your buttons is also a distraction. The person beside you is much more interested in Jake Gyllenhaal’s naked chest than your love affair of the month. Put your phone away until the credits roll!
Bed – If you’re married, or living with somebody, enjoy the quiet time in bed together. Love each other, snuggle, TALK and put away the computers/phones/handhelds. Trust us, the rewards are far greater than sending one last tweet.
There is nothing worse than meeting friends, to just stand there, glancing awkwardly around while they “just check one quick email”. Tapping away on your phone shows that whoever you’re talking to on that little piece of plastic is more important than the person who is sitting right beside you. Shouldn’t face time be a little more sacred? (We don’t mean iPhone’s Face Time, either).
Thoughts on the subject? BBM us (kidding).Tweet us @rockitpromo.
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