Smartphones do a lot for us. We use them to navigate to places, keep up with our mail and our social media, and they even entertain us (and little ones, too, in a handful of special circumstances). They do more then that though. They often annoy people around you. Not inherent to the smartphones themselves, of course. Rather, (in flashing red lights) user error. Here are some annoying habits that lots of users display. Are you guilty of any of these? If so, you might want to be more aware of yourself and the way you use your smartphone.
Texting and driving
Although texting and driving is against the law in most states, people still do it. This habit is not only frustrating, as it makes you less of an attentive driver, it can lead to car accidents. These accidents can just be fender benders or they can result in fatalities. Send a text to your friend letting them know you will be five minutes late is not worth the possibility of injuring yourself or someone else. Or as the public service ad reminds us, texting even the quickest "OK" is not worth the risk. If you can’t resist the urge to text, try turning your phone off when you are in a vehicle.
Paying more attention to your phone than your friends
Smartphones are fantastic tools. They’re like miniature computers that you can hold in your hands, but they’re not more intriguing than real people - your friends or family members - are they? Many people seem to have such co-dependent relationships with their smartphones that they’ll text messages, read emails, and scan the news while seated at lunch with their friends. Or, the holy grail of rudeness, being at a nice restaurant with your significant other and paying more attention to your technology - ouch! Downloading a new ring tone while communicating with family members at the dinner table...? A little silly. This isn’t risky behavior, just exceptionally annoying. No one wants to play second fiddle to your cell phone (especially that significant other).
Noisy keyboards
Does a cheerful chime or other noise on your phone announce the arrival of a new text? When you navigate through your phone or type does it make little clicking sounds or beeps? You might not realize this, but in certain circumstances, constant phone sound effects could be causing the hair of those folks around you to stand on end! Picture a waiting room in a doctor's office, where anxiety and aggravation factors might well be stirring...perhaps not be the ideal background for repetitive sing-songy chimes and constant clicks as one's fingers move across the keys in a chit-chat text conversation with a friend. A smart consideration might be to mute your clicks for the sake of those around you.
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