Social media and texting etiquette (A rant)

Occasionally I want to rant about something, and today’s the day. My rant is about social media and texting etiquette.

I was taught that, when in face-to-face conversation, you give the person your full attention. That was the polite thing to do. Face-to-face communication always took priority, and it included eye contact.

But with the introduction of social media and texting, the electronic gadget-of-choice now seems to take priority over everything. It’s like having a conversation with someone who is continually glancing at the door, waiting for someone better or more important to enter.

I think this is rude. It’s also frustrating because the person doesn’t remember the conversation, and you have to repeat it. Again and again. (sigh…)

Does that make me old-fashioned or behind the times? Nope. I believe it simply means that my priorities are different than the social media/text-aholics in our midst.

I recently told someone what to expect at a social media meeting. I said, “They’ll give you a brief second of ‘hello,’ then all you see is the top of their heads as they get back to texting, tweeting and updating their status. Eye-to-eye contact is non-existent.” He didn’t seem too enthusiastic about attending at that point.

Don’t kill the messenger (or application)
Please understand that I’m not trashing social media and texting itself. I use these tools and appreciate the convenience  they offer. If your phone rings or alerts you, I have no problem with you checking to see who it is. I do it myself. And if it’s important, I expect you to take the call or text, just like I would.

The people I’m talking about are the folks who can’t pay attention to an entire sentence because they’re so distracted, waiting for the next tweet or text to come in.

You may be thinking, “Oh, that’s not me. I’m a good multi-tasker. I don’t offend others with my actions.” But here’s a secret:

If you’ve been even slightly uncomfortable while reading this post, it’s probably you. You think we don’t see you doing the sideways glance or tweeting/texting under the table, but we do. And it affects our impression of you. Dramatically.

Whether you’re at work or at play, your commitment to your electronic device has a drastic effect on others’ perception of you. You just need to decide what that perception will be, from this point forward.

Have a refreshing and productive day of politeness and good manners!

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