Listening 28 – Listen for specific words

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who are constantly tethered to their cell phones and can’t seem to go more than a minute or two without it. It’s like you’ll be in the middle of a conversation with someone, and you can just see their repeatedly glancing downwards at the phone – and I know most people do this subconsciously, and it’s becoming increasingly socially . But I still think that when you do this, you give the impression that the other person who’s standing right there in front of you just isn’t as important or as whatever’s on your phone.

And there’s really no need for this – I mean, most people are not room doctors or some other profession where they might need to be constantly on call. Now, to be fair, all the apps and games and stuff are actually to be addictive, and it’s easy to get hooked on the notifications and updates. But sometimes I honestly wonder if future are gonna become completely inept at face-to-face interaction.

I remember reading about a classroom where a teacher had her students in a group chat online via their cell phones or tablets – right there in the classroom. It’s like they were incapable of actually talking to each other. And she was actually being for her innovative new approach to involving students in the discussion.

There was one scene I witnessed in public that I’ll never forget. I passed a couple of guys in a park, and one of them was something kind of secretly to the other. I caught a glimpse of it, and it was an engagement ring – the guy was about to propose to his girlfriend, who was sitting on a bench nearby chatting on her phone. So I sat down on another bench to watch what I thought would be a beautiful moment – but it was a . The guy went and sat next to the girl, but she barely acknowledged him, she was so absorbed in the conversation.

For about ten minutes, the girl just kept yapping on her cell phone, while her boyfriend sat there and fidgeted. He would change , adjust his jacket, finger the ring in his pocket, and even stare directly at her, but she was oblivious. When she finally up, she turned to face him, they exchanged a couple of words, and then – the phone rang again, and she answered. The guy leaned back, his arms, and stared straight ahead. I eventually got up and left, but I kind of wonder if he ever proposed!

Some people are making an to change, though. I remember hearing about this game where, when you go out to dinner with friends, everyone puts their cell phones in a in the middle of the table, and the first person who succumbs to the temptation of grabbing their phone has to foot the bill for everybody’s ! So that’ll definitely make you think twice about whether it’s really it to take a look at your phone while you’re in the middle of a social situation.