to hate this new scab on the face of socierty

[SunWukong]

The smart phone addict, how many hours do they waste every day, desperately checking if someone's liked their comment, retweeted their inane drival, or replied to their post.

Think what other more productive things they could be doing in that time, like looking where they are going, paying attention to the road when driving, and not looking like a right shit when their mates are trying to talk to them in pubs etc, the list of better things they could do is endless.

Yeah right, they could be on mumsnet, oh no hang on, you can check that on your phone too.

Well, I agree that people should be looking where they are going while walking and it's illega to use a phone while driving, but I disagree with your point in general. People don't need to be doing productive things all the time, if they choose to spend their time on their phone surfing the web then that's up to them isn't it.

You've got it on you this morning haven't you OP.

Obviously using a phone and driving is wrong and illegal. But if someone finds their phone more interesting than company it's just bad manners. I think the smart phone itself is irrelevant, bad manners is bad for society.

As for productivity, I'm on Mumnset at 10:30 on a Saturday morning. I wouldn't like to comment on anyone else's leisure time.

Surely you could argue that smartphones, and the internet in general, are

A) encouraging literacy
B) giving teenagers something to do other than cause trouble on street corners

Because I am generally replying to a client or boss who has just emailed or text me, or I'm checking Facebook to see how my poorly, in hospital school friend is, or I am tweeting & liking to promote my business. Rarely am I aimlessly reading comments on Facebook or playing games!
Phones can now do so much that we practically run our lives from them. However, the downside of that is that people expect you to be available 24/7. I even had a text from a client at 8pm last night & an email from my boss at 11pm the night before! This can cause huge issues with work life balance, but sadly it's expected!
BTW - I don't use an iPhone or BlackBerry. I have a windows phone so could well be writing a word document. It really is a mini computer I carry in my pocket!

Have you got better things to do with your time? Maybe people think you post drivel?

No scabs on the face of society are the injustice of Hillsborough, 2.6 million unemployed, 4 million kids in poverty, 1 woman a day murdered by their H, P or BF.....

Not people using their phones.

Get a life OP

Going on the Internet (probably on your phone) to slag off people going on the Internet on their phones is a trifle odd.

scabs on the face of society? People using smartphones?

Really?

Not muggers, rapists, burglars etc, just people using smartphones?

I use my smart phone for reading essential texts books for my uni course and catching up on online lectures and research.

I don't really, well, sometimes I do, but my point is how do you know they're on twitter and not reading an academic journal?

I actually normally use mine for reading novels, if I was sat in a park with a book you wouldn't judge so much would you?

Personally I don't like the new r on the face of socierty

I noticed the spelling mistake also, I thought to point it out would be to put yourself on OP's level.

I MN on my phone on the horrid bus journey to school. I sit on the bus and order my food shopping delivery on my phone. I message my cousins in America on my phone. I order things like my DS's birthday presents on my phone. I put in mine and my DS2 & DS3's repeat prescriptions on my phone.

Yes, in a way, I am addicted to my smartphone. Because due to my joint issues, the touch screen typing is less painful for me than using a laptop.

And I may as well use the 40 minute bus journey to school productively - my DS1 & DS2 have to sit wherever there are spaces, and they read on the bus, I have to sit at the front with DS3's pram, he is usually napping (he wakes at 5am, so an 8am nap isn't that odd!), I might as well use the time productively or on MN if there is nothing else to do.

I know, couldn't resist.

I suspect, thinking they are above others when they are not.

I couldn't care less if they where the pm reading important parliamentary papers, they can still sit down and do it somewhere instead of walking along not looking, so what if driving while on the phone is illegal how many people have you seen get done by police for it? I've never seen them bother anyone over it.

I have a iPhone and mn has taken it over.

I've never seen anyone walking along reading their phone ever. Or driving with one.

I've seen people sitting in parks, on buses or trains or in waiting rooms with one. Occasionally there are mums in the school yard reading one while they wait for their children.

Walking about with one? Not so much.

OP you could stand on a road corner with a camera, film car reg plates and scabs on their smartphones then hand the evidence to police, good luck.

Smart phones have cameras

Just because you have never seen anyone arrested for driving using their phone, does not mean they aren't!!

Surely you realise that?

Award for worlds most specious reasoning. Following that train of thought my Doctor Martins are shark proof, as I have never seen or been attacked by a shark while wearing them.