Answert to texting at the dinner table

[LONDONER]

[Steve]

It's gotten to the point that I hate people texting. I can't tell you how boring Thanksgiving was last year when all of Mark's nieces and nephews were glued to the phones 90% of the time. Made me want to scream. I can't remember the last technological leap forward that was so incredibly effective at letting everyone know that some people would rather be anywhere else in the world than in present company.

Nice find Londoner.

[LONDONER]

It's gotten to the point that I hate people texting. I can't tell you how boring Thanksgiving was last year when all of Mark's nieces and nephews were glued to the phones 90% of the time. Made me want to scream. I can't remember the last technological leap forward that was so incredibly effective at letting everyone know that some people would rather be anywhere else in the world than in present company.

Nice find Londoner.

Oh how I agree with you! It drives me to distraction to see people walking in the street and texting at the same time, sitting on buses of railways texting, sitting at cafes and texting. It would be interesting to hear what a psychologist has to say about this. Are people so lonely that they have to feel that they are in touch with someone 100% of the time?

I've owned a smartphone for maybe seven or eight years now and I can only remember one single occasion when I actually switched it on and searched for something on the Internet while in public. I was with friends at the time and wanted to show them something. I would never, never text while eating with friends. That would be the height of rudeness.

[Buzy]

The video is funny, and so true ^^ Me too on the bus i use my phone, but just when i am alone.

I saw a placard in front of a coffee shop with this sentence

NO WIFI
Talk to each other !
Call your MOM !
Pretend it's 1993
Live

[Steve]

I'm all for information at your fingertips when its an emergency or even if you just need directions. The rest of it is nonsense. And it's bloody textspeak! Do you know how many people couldn't begin to tell you the difference between there, they're, and their? Or to, too, and two? How many times have you heard someone say him and me, instead of He and I?

Texting! Meh. Pickup the damned phone, punch in a phone number and actually talk to someone.!! With words 'n such! Nothing makes me cazier than to have to sit and decifer someone's text blather!

"Heya, Bro. WUU2" - "What you up to"
The first party is asking a good friend what they are doing.
"LOLZ, Nothin ATM U?" A more personalized version of Laughing Out Loud followed by "Nothing At The Moment. What are you doing?"
"Bored skillin FTW =P" I am engaged in a particularly tedious task in a video game whereby I hope to develop a particular skill and become more proficient. The FTW means For The Win, in this case, the sarcastic version is being used. In text speak, the "equals" sign followed by a letter "P" is a visual cue translated as sticking out one's tongue.

Makes me want to study Latin.

[Rareboy]

We make everyone put their txtspk machines away if we have them over for dinner.

And have had no problem calling out people for being rude enough to take messages or send messages while at the table.

It also is the last time they are invited to dine at our table or with us in a restaurant.

[Jake]

Great video Londoner, I don't know, perhaps it's because I was raised in the era where cell phones didn't exist for the masses, where Internet was not available everywhere, but I never took that technology turns of texting. Even running a multi-million business and having worked in IT for many years - I can fix Blackberry, configure Ipad and Iphone with Airwatch but I cannot result myself to texting, heck I don't even plug myself in if I take the bus or subway, I need to be aware of my environment at every moment. This means any distraction doesn't work with me.

At home, there's few rules about uses of technology, mostly cell phones cannot be used in some areas of the house; the library, the pool house, the kitchen and living room. Kids are not allowed to leave the diner table to go answer their cell phones text messages on any devices, my son who is 15 isn't allowed to go on Facebook until he reaches at least 17 years old. His cell phone and his laptop has tracking devices that anonymously record everything and send it straight to my email or Alex's as soon as he's connected to the net.

The reason we made those rules aren't to remove their privacy, as we are not monitoring 24/7 but at least I want them to speak, to communicate, to go play outside and do some physical activities. Sometimes my kids wonder how was I able doing so much activity when I was their age; heck I was singing, dancing, drawing, playing music, did martial arts, gymnastic etc. That's because I was not fucking typing on a cell phone 24/7, I was not checking my email every 5 minutes, I was not spending all my time playing video games or browsing the Internet. I made my life exciting by doing stuff as oppose to just typing crap on a stupid smart phone.

I do have a smart phone, but It is really recommended never to use it as my main phone since I rarely answer it, mostly if I don't recognize the number or you're not on my calling list you'll get the voicemail and I may or may not call you back. The only cell I'd answer to is the one I use for my business.

[LONDONER]

It's nice to know that there are still some sane people in the world!

Way things are going maybe in a few generations we will have people who have an earpiece permanently embedded in their head and a keypad in their wrist.

[ShiftyNJ]

In my parents' house we are pretty good about not using the phones during our sadly infrequent get-togethers,but amusingly my dad (age 72) is just as likely to be the offender if it happens. he tweets, blogs, etc.,with the best of them

We all love trivia, so frequently if someone is on their phone it is to look something up to settle an argument or because we "just have to know" as part of the conversation. It's not one person isolating themselves from the group.

The funniest thing is my sister's DH used to tease all of us about how much we loved our gadgets, and when he got one he immediately became the worst offender, excitedly showing us this app or that.

[Elijoan]

I sent that to my brother, who has two teenage sons.

...We all love trivia, so frequently if someone is on their phone it is to look something up to settle an argument or because we "just have to know" as part of the conversation. It's not one person isolating themselves from the group...

That's an advantage, and can sometimes lead to a more interesting conversation. I was at a party that was getting a bit slow, and someone started finding songs on YouTube, which turned into a fun singing session.

I have a "stupid phone" and haven't been willing to pay for the upgrade since I have enough ways for people to contact me. If free, I'd probably use it to go online, but probably not text all that much.