While we were at SxSW, Laura and I threw a Mobile Manners brunch with Intel. We gathered a group of very smart women to eat quiche and text one other about the irritating things people do with their gadgets.
Genevieve Bell, an Intel Fellow who studies how different cultures use technology, presented some of their mobile etiquette research.
During Genevieve’s presentation, I tweeted while she was talking (event hashtag, FTW), checked in to Foursquare, and texted with a person sitting two tables away from me. Afterward, I drove around town looking for a funeral parlor, because I’ve heard those are nice quiet places to make phone calls.
Everyone else was the picture of civility, even when the gift bags came out.
Now that’s some good home training.
The bags were a team effort amongst attendees, and as always we saved one for you. Maile brought her gorgeous Epiphanie Bags, and I set aside the Clover Laptop and Camera Bag in grey, which is the one I carry. Everywhere. And sometimes I spoon with it. It looks like this:
Elizabeth works for Twitter, but also has a letterpress business called Paperwheel Press. She brought everyone a couple of geeky letterpress thank you notes:
And finally, Intel threw in a copy of Emily Post’s Great Get Togethers:
To win, please leave your pinky out when you sip your tea, and leave your most profound mobile etiquette peeve in comments.
Please only enter once; I’ll leave comments open until Monday when I’ll announce the winner. I hope it’s you.
Mighty Girl 
I can’t stand it when someone is talking while ordering food etc. It’s so unbelievably rude. You can bet I’ve shot out my fair share of “stink eyes” to perpetrators I’ve encountered!
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People checking their phones during the movies, definitely!
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Someone who emails me and then immediately calls my cellphone to “see if I read the email” makes me want to stab them in the ear. Really?
Current favourite tea is Northwest Earl Grey with Lavender Blossoms (in bags) or Pear Luna White Tea from Teavana (loose).
And I’d LOVE that charcoal Clover bag. SO MUCH. I would love it and pet and feed it and maybe rename it George.
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1) People who constantly text others while spending time with me. While they’re incessantly checking their phones every time they chime to read a message and then respond it is a constant interruption to the very real, live conversation we’re having. I lose my train of thought and find myself wondering why I bother.
2) People who text while driving. If you’re not paying attention to the road while you’re behind the wheel, uh, who is? I see it daily and often and give these folks a wide berth- if I can’t get around them I’ll make sure there’s plenty of room between us. It’s not worth my life because someone just had to send a “LOL” text that “just couldn’t wait.”
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I hate when people leave their cellphones at their desk when they aren’t around. All day long I get to hear their annoying ring selections go off endlessly. Seriously people – put it on vibrate or take the phone with you!
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When people’s cell phones ring during church or weddings….worse yet funerals….if you are there to celebrate, then do it. Don’t be somewhere else and not in the moment!
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my two biggies: 1) texting/tweeting, etc. during social engagements. if we got together to hang out, why do you care about what’s going one somewhere else with someone else?! particularly annoying during meals. 2) relating the plot of the movie to someone on the other end; tell them to watch the darn movie themselves!
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Where do I start… People texting each other when they are with a group of people (does this remind you of grade school when people used to whisper secrets to each other in front of others?); phones on during church service; texting/ phone calls during meals; a text instead of hearing a voice when getting bad news. I could go on and on.
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I’m gonna go with messing with your phone while we are at the dinner table. It is just too much. What can be happening in the span of a meal that is SO important? And how did you survive dinners in the past without it, my heavens! Yeesh.
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My biiiiggest pet peeve is being able to hear someone’s music through their earphones. If I can hear your music, then you can DEFINITELY hear your music, and you need to turn it down. For the sake of your ear drums and my sanity, TURN IT DOWN.
But since that isn’t cell phone related, my biggest cell phone pet peeve is being able to hear someone else’s conversation when I’m in a place where I can’t escape it (usually the bus, which I don’t even like even when it IS silent).
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My pet peeve is someone answering a text message while still having a conversation with you. Surely it can wait till your conversation is over but if not excuse yourself and deal with it, do not talk and text at the same time.
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It used to be you could win an argument by simply using an authoritative, clear tone of voice. Now someone can double check your facts on a cellphone and tell you on the spot that you are wrong. How rude.
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long phone conversations..
and texting while driving. 🙂
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Pretty much any cell phone use in public, really. Unless you are somewhere outdoors and where nothing else is going on — like waiting for the bus, or standing or sitting still somewhere fairly uncrowded (alleyway, empty doorway to a closed establishment along a sidewalk, that kind of thing) then I just really hate it when people have phone conversations in public. Text messages on the bus and what-have-you are okay, because that’s quiet and unobtrusive at least. But all this constant connection to everything and everyone everywhere, all the time? I hate it.
Also — a related-but-different thing — the use of the word “text” as a verb. “Texting” is not a thing. “To text” is not a verb. You can send someone a text message. That is what you can do. (And don’t even get me started on text-speak and stupid numbers/letters-in-place-of-real-words-and-never-using-punctuation nonsense. *shakes fist at sky* Kids today! Even though I’m 30, and so I’m supposed to be okay with all of this nonsense. But really, gah.)
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What I hate the most is when you are out with a friend or in my case my sister, and you are having a conversation and out of no where they just start laughing. You look around like you missed something and then you look at your friend or my sister, and realize they read something funny on their phone, and then they have the nerve not to share. SO Rude!!!
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My biggest mobile pet peeve is talking on the phone in a public restroom…I really could care less about your personal problems, or how your love life is going…I just want to pee in relative calm. Thank you.
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texting during a movie…the last time i went i counted 26 screens lit up and people texting away. movies are expensive I shut my phone off to get my entire 12 bucks worth of show! thanks for the contest!
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Agh! People talking on the phone in a public restroom (well, any restroom really). Yeah, it’s more quiet than the restaurant or bar, but what do the people on the other end think when the offender or I flush the toilet? Ick!
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I know it has been mentioned before, but using the device while driving and NOT PAYING ATTENTION! DRIVES ME INSANE!!
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I work in a pharmacy, it is extremely rude to talk on your phone while we are trying to ask you questions about your health. Get off the phone, this stuff back here can kill you!!! Oh, and you are not exempt from this rule because you are in the drive-thru.
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My biggest mobile etiquette peeve is just because you have a smart phone doesn’t mean you don’t have to re-read what you have typed in to send. (all the word errors)
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When I see a family out n’ about, and the children are playing while Mom and Dad are glued to their phones. Seriously, very sad. They are missing out on so much more than a text, tweet, email.
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People who text while you are talking to them … and they ask you to repeat what you just spend your time explaining…. 😦
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When people write epically long, serious texts that require multiple texts to clarify. If it’s that important, please let’s meet *in person* and discuss it.
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When I’m in close proximity of someone and they start speaking (with bluetooth that I can’t see) and I say excuse me, I’m sorry can you repeat and then they give me a look like I have 3 heads for talking to them. Well, excuse me…it looks like you’re talking to me.
Oh and a close second when you’re in a public restroom and someone is carrying on a phone conversation in the next stall. Ewww!
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Pinky out!
The most annoying EVER is when visiting with friends and at least has got their phone out the whole entire time texting. Actually one more is even more annoying is when their phone rings and they answer it right there in middle of the group and chat away!! GET UP AND LEAVE the room PLEASE!! Whew, felt good to get that out;) Now, hoping that I am the lucky winner to an absolutely beautiful bag ;)!! thanks!
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When I am standing in line at the grocery store and the person checking out is talking on their phone or texting and is therefore taking 3 times as long to put their groceries out, pay, etc.
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Hmmm…I have so many pet peeves!
As a parent myself, I find it infuriating when other parents can’t be bothered to watch their children or to interact with them b/c their phones are too important. Last week at my daughter’s ballet class not a single other parent actually watch their adorable toddlers dance. They all were too busy texting or talking (too loudly)on their phones. Don’t they realize what preciousness they are missing out on?! The same thing happens at the playground.
I also agree with everyone above who posted about how rude people are to tellers, cashiers and fellow humans. When did phones become more important than humanity?
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I can’t decide which has bugged me more:
people who start phone conversations while in bathroom stalls
or
people who refuse to dim their smartphones while in use at the movies
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I work in retail so, anyone who continues to talk on the phone when they walk up to the register, I find very rude. I can’t help someone when I don’t know if they are talking to me, or the person on the other end.
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I am one of those people who pay for a limited number of text messages (I may be the only one left). It drives me bonkers when people text me a happy face…and nothing else. Seriously..did I just pay ten cents for =) ?!
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Haha, I, too hate when people call me on the actual phone, what a life interruption! But the original pet peeve I was going to post is when I’m with somebody, actually in the flesh, especially people I haven’t seen in a long time and they text with someone else the entire time! Once or twice I can put up with, but even so, I try my hardest to connect with those I am with rather than giving them half my attention because I’m texting or checking facebook.
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Drunk texts at 4 AM from ex-boyfriends.
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Biggest peeve: When someone [read: my mother] calls during a time when they know you will be unavailable to talk and then leaves a 3 minute phone message. “What? Oh dear, it says I have eight seconds le… ” click.
And then she calls back again to continue…
Lord have mercy.
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Driving and Talking…..whenever a car is driving all crazy, the driver is always on the phone. It’s not only rude, but so dangerous!
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I echo everything Dana (#283) above me said. I absolutely HATE that – it’s the epitome of rudeness. It got so bad with one friend in particular that I threatened to leave and not hang out with her again, if she didn’t put down the damn phone and pay attention to me. Thankfully it worked. 🙂
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Has to be when people are talking on the phone while checking out, at a store, post office, wherever. It’s just rude.
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Texting while people are trying to sell me stuff …Really D-bag try to actually pay attention, to me while you are trying to up sell me on a million billion texts with my new phone plan, then you might see the look of disgust on my face and relize you should stop talking and texting and leave me alone LOL
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I can’t stand when people leave really long voicemail messages. You know, the ones where they have to call back a second time to finish up what they were saying.
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It is super inexcusable when people would talk on their phone while they are checking out through the lane. When I used to work at a retail store it bothered me so much, that they wouldn’t even acknowledge me when I was being polite. Rude!
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I hate it when someone keeps resending you a text or calling multiple times. If I don’t answer/reply right away, it’s because I can’t! I will see your missed call when I am available.
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I can’t stand it when people are at the register checking out and talking on the phone! It’s rude to the cashier and to all the rest of us in line waiting – some people can’t multitask!! 🙂
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I think it is ridiculously rude when people bring merchandise to the checkout counter while on their mobile phones, talking away while the clerk is trying to complete the transaction. It just has a bad vibe.
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Taking a phone call when you’re in the middle of a face to face conversation. I don’t care who is calling.
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People who text while I’m trying to talk to them, or answer a call in the middle of a conversation. Are they really THAT important? 😉
Seriously, as a deaf person, I love, love today’s mobility. It’s opened up a wonderfully larger world of communication for me.
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Texting or talking on the phone at restaurants.
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Driving while chatting. If it is so darn important to be on the phone while in your car pull over! I can not count the number of times I have been almost side swiped by people just chatting away totally oblivious to anyone around them.
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Personal, private phone conversations in totally public places. I spent an excruciating 45 minutes commuting home last year across the aisle from a woman who was making a series of “I’m pregnant!” phone calls, including occasional details about her recent miscarriage. Loudly. On the train. During rush hour. WTF?
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I really hate it when people talk on the phone while checking out in the line ahead of me!
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My biggest mobile pet peeve is when people don’t put their phones away for meetings, etc. Even vibrate is LOUD and disruptive!
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