CIO.com recently published an article entitled 12 Types of Cell Phone Users That Drive Us Nuts. As the title suggests, the article contains a humorous slideshow of 12 type of cell phone users that just don't conform to social norms. While I initially read the article for my own entertainment, I began to think about the process of how society reacts to new technologies and how norms, as well as faux pas, form over time. There always seems to be an evolution as to how devices are used and thought of by society, and if you fall behind the curve...well, you end up in an article on CIO.com.
One of the annoying types listed by the article is "The iPhone Snob or 'Jesus Phone Disciple'". Apparently, it's no longer cool to show off and brag about your iPhone - that sort of behavior is now reserved for MacBook Pro users. And although I've never owned iPhone, in the past I could have been labeled as a "Mr. 'I Can't Look Away From My BlackBerry'". At a previous job, I parked two blocks away from my building and was often guiltly of reading emails on my BlackBerry for the entire two block trek. And even though I no longer have that device, I still find myself doing it with my new smartphone. It's something I'm working on, a work in progress if you will.
So which faux pas are you guilty of?! Come on, I fessed up, now it's your turn!
I'll admit that I will text in almost any situation, even when I probably shouldn't. I often find myself texting while someone is talking to me, tryin to focus on both conversations. I'm sure thats aggreavating to some people, but I just don't think about it before sending off that last text or two. I would imagine that a lot of people guilty of "cell phone faux pas" would fall under the same category. We're always so wrapped up in our cellular world, that we often don't think about the signals we are sending. I know the cell phone etiquette that aggrevates me is people who hold lengthy conversations in the car while you sit next to them forced to keep silent. I understand that you cannot control when you get a call, but that's a situation where you should end the conversation quickly and pick it back up when you are in a more appropriate setting. I don't know if that bothers anyone else, but I am not a fan of the 30 minute awkward silence drives.
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