To be irritated at people that can't stop looking at their mobile when out with friends?

[Gromance02]

I don't mean checking it occasionally and leaving it in your bag. I mean literally sitting opposite your DP/friend and just being on it constantly? It hasn't happened to me. Just something I seem to see more and more often. You may as well go out on your own if you are going to be glued to your phone. It is so needy and sad.

Pager

Well there’s always one person talking so yes, mid sentence usually. Believe it or not I can still listen to them and glance down, my concentration is still on what their saying. Half of us have kids so all do the same. We’re also all blunt enough to say something to each other if one gets annoyed.

@WorraLiberty she messaged me before I got there, it was my choice to message her back as it wasn't idle chatter and as she happened to be free, we messaged a few times. I was with a bunch of people that exclude me anyway so it filled my hands and I felt more like I'd chosen not to engage. If I'd been with a bunch of people I was friends with, phone would have stayed in bag far more.

If it had been something trivial, I wouldn't have bothered/might have got my phone out once or twice all afternoon, but it wasn't.

My boyfriend was fine with it as he knew I was upset (there were issues at ex-work) and knew I'd be a bit lost in the big group. He knows I'm fine chatting in smaller groups with his mates and my phone stays in my handbag but they usually forget me in big groups and I find it hard to join in. I spent a bit more of the day chatting to the other fairly new to the group partner that they ignore so that she wasn't mindlessly checking insta every 2min, too.

Also Worra, this woman didn't have my itinery- it was my choice to engage with her when I did.

I find it hard to accept that people can't put their thinking caps on and imagine what life was like without mobile phones.

I didn't get my first mobile until I was about 33 and then of course it was just a Nokia that did calls and text messages.

My life was absolutely fine and dandy without being contactable 24 hours per day and without needing access to the internet 24 hours a day.

When I was at school, if I was taken ill, school would phone my Mum and if she was out they would have to wait til she got home (no answerphones) or wait until she came to collect me at home town. If I had to go to hospital, I imagine a member of staff would have gone with me.

When I was a teen and needed a lift home I went to a phone box (pre-arranged phone box) and either reversed charges or did 3 rings and put the phone down.

If I was meeting friends and got delayed then I was delayed and there was nothing anyone could do about it. They either waited for me or went ahead without me.

At work we communicated by phone or letter. No one died as the result of having to wait a few days for an answer or for a business transaction to go through.

No one would expect a character reference to be written by return! No wonder people feel under such pressure these days.

Siwel123 I’m just picturing you incurring Malcolm Tucker’s wrath if you don’t respond within a nanosecond of his text pinging in
#missespointofthread

Oh sometimes I do . I can't name but there are some Mps and negotiators that do whinge like mad if they don't get a near instant reply

www.oliverbonas.com/gift/21-days-to-stop-technology-addiction-challenge-box

...I'd love to buy this as a passive aggressive birthday present for my friend who is ALWAYS on her phone when we meet up. SO rude. She does it with everyone and it's not work related, mostly mindlessly scrolling through social media .

Another friend has a "phone amnesty box" in her house for dinner times etc - love it!

mostly mindlessly scrolling through social media hmm Yes to this. The ratio of mind-numbing posts to interesting/witty ones is about 1000/1. I only check Facebook if I'm bored. Not on Instagram or Twitter or anything else. I always assume someone is having a shit holiday or night out if they post something when they are actually on holiday or on a night out.

isn't it interesting to see from the posts here the dichotomy between oblivious "yeah I do and nobody minds" and those who are clearly upset by the rudeness of being ignored by company but too polite to say. I suppose a phone amnesty box for dinner time is a solution but sad that it is needed.