Your updates aren't that important

I have a rule, I’ll stop talking the moment someone looks at their device.

As soon as I’m aware I’ve lost their attention I stop. If someone starts tapping on their screen or keyboard I’m likely to leave the room.

Let’s face it, most of what people say on social media isn’t so important that it can’t wait for a few minutes, so why do people feel such a sense of urgency about it?

The simple answer is that they’re not really thinking about what they are doing. They’re just carrying out a learnt response to a stimulus. The stimulus is the beep or vibration, the response is almost automatic.

The real problem comes when the learnt response isn’t just rude it’s dangerous. I’ve watched pedestrians take out their phone half way across a road. I’ve witnessed people drawn in while driving and cycling. I’ve dropped items I was carrying to respond to the calling. Clearly I’m not the only one thinking about it as an issue: