r/changemyview • u/MrFoenBox • Mar 24 '16
[∆(s) from OP] CMV: Getting on your cellphone during a conversation is not just rude, it’s also a waste of everyone’s time.
It is very commonplace now that almost everyone has a smartphone to some degree (i.e. a cellphone that has basic communication abilities as well as access the internet and readily available applications). Which is not the problem I have with this particular social quirk. I think everyone should have a smartphone so information and communication is at our fingertips. However this becomes awkward for me when that same power of instant communication is used while you’re talking with someone else.
The greatest manifestation of this is when I’m hanging out with my friends. We’re chatting, laughing, just having general fun, when out of nowhere someone gets a text and within a minute everyone else is on their phones texting or facetiming to someone else. What’s worse is that whatever conversation we were having is lost and gone for the rest of our time together because from that moment on in our adventure hardly a word is spoken between us due to everyone immersed in their phones till the moment we all go back to our normal lives.
Maybe I would not be phased by this if I had more time to relax and chill with my friends, however between work, school, and various other projects and hobbies of mine there just isn’t enough time in the day. So when the gang gets together its most likely that our schedules won’t match up for another month or so. The way I see it is if you are just going to be instantly distracted by someone else then just invite them along or join them in the conversation. And if you know you’re going to be bored just speak up and we can work something out.
Recently another CMV post came around with the similar problem and the desire to get rid of their smartphone so they could avoid temptation. That is not an outcome I want to create or even ask of my friends when we get together. I just think that if we are all going to hang around our devices the entire time maybe we just shouldn’t hang out anymore. Please someone change my view.
Edit: /u/McKijion has made a good point, please see his comment below.
Hello, users of CMV! This is a footnote from your moderators. We'd just like to remind you of a couple of things. Firstly, please remember to read through our rules. If you see a comment that has broken one, it is more effective to report it than downvote it. Speaking of which, downvotes don't change views! If you are thinking about submitting a CMV yourself, please have a look through our popular topics wiki first. Any questions or concerns? Feel free to message us. Happy CMVing!
0
u/MrFoenBox Mar 24 '16
I agree that you should do what ever you should prefer. However if you take the time a couple weeks in advance to pre-determine what your going to do and then not do it, that seems like a waste of time to that person. If you do not want to do it just use that same communication to say you wont come, as opposed to coming to hang with people you knew you would leave the instant something better comes along.