I don't mean to say that cell phones should be banned in certain places. SF Bay Area residents know what happens when public areas such as BART stations shut down cell phone reception. People go nuts! No, what I'm saying is that people need to regulate themselves more, and there should be a general frowning-upon of people using their cell phones at inappropriate times.
For example, I went out to dinner with a friend the other day, just the two of us. We hadn't hung out in a while and she was moving away for a long time -- so this was our time to chill out before she left. I will admit, I go out to dinner with a lot of people where everyone gets pretty distracted by technology. Sometimes we'll take the food somewhere else to eat it (usually someone's house nearby), or we'll watch TV or a movie at the same time. However, this was supposed to be a goodbye meal and it couldn't have gone more wrong.
Usually there is a lot to talk about, but we were obviously on the tired side. I was excited for some good food and conversation despite being tired. Then, five minutes into the conversation, she had to pull out her phone to check and see if her boss had emailed her. I thought, "That's completely understandable. If my boss were on my ass all the time, I would check to see if they emailed me too."
Once confirmed that they had emailed her, she had to answer them back right away when it sounded like a subject that could wait. This led to the reading of other emails she absolutely had to answer, which led to me sitting there staring at the people around us, fist under my chin, and silent for the next few minutes. I could not believe this was happening and was rolling my eyes to myself. She continued to do this until the meal was over (and therefore we were steeped in silence for quite some time), and although I had been wanting to pay for her share of the meal as a goodbye present, I didn't even offer because I was apparently not company she cared to keep.
Now, I can understand an important email, phone call, etc. Sometimes things come up and there is absolute need to respond to a person. Being in this day and age, it's somewhat expected that an answer come in relatively soon after a message is sent. However, if you must check your phone for emails every 10 seconds, at least wait to answer them. Whatever email service you have, there is always--ALWAYS--an option of going back to a particular email.
Better yet, in restaurant or meal-time situations, turn your phone off, or put it away altogether. I may seem old fashioned, but when I was a kid, we didn't even answer the house phone during dinner. It would ring and ring and ring, and we would continue to talk over the noise. Who cares if that person has to wait to hear from you until the end of a meal? In my opinion, unless it's an emergency, they can wait another 20 minutes before you contact them. Lunch and dinner should be special times for getting away from the pressures of work-related technical contact--a sanctuary away from constant reply expectation.
The only time it should be acceptable to pull out a phone during meal-time is if 1) you are taking a memorable picture with the phone's camera, 2) it's that time between sending off your card for the bill and signing the receipt, and 3) if there are more than 6 people at the table. Otherwise, keep it in your pants! (Or purse...)
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