Mobile Manners
The research shows we are united in frustration by the general publics lack of mobile manners. 67% of respondents said that people talking too loudly on their phones in public spaces is what drives them maddest, quickest, making this the no.1 mobile pet peeve across the UK and across Europe as well.
The survey also revealed that 40 percent of respondents were guilty of typing in front on others whilst 52 percent of mobile maniacs said that they would rather give up chocolate than give up on their gadget addiction.
Genevieve Bell, Intel Fellow and Director of Interaction and Experience Research, Intel Labs commented, This survey makes clear how important mobile technologies have become in our daily lives. Smartphones are no longer just devices for making calls, they are implicated in almost everything we do. And whilst it sometimes feels like these devices have been around forever, it is less than a decade since mobile phones went mainstream in the UK.
Dr Bell added: Unsurprisingly, we are still working out the right social rules; from texting your friends while on a date to Tweeting during your own wedding, societies and cultures havent quite sorted out how the devices will find a comfortable place in our lives. While inappropriate mobile use is certainly an invasion of privacy, we cant deny the reliance on these devices, and the positive impact they have on our lives.
As further proof, those surveyed said they would rather you picked your nose than used your mobile in front of them. Only smoking and swearing were deemed as less appropriate for public situations.
Brits love of mobile technology also revealed that 33% of us have suffered their use even on a date, and 11% of respondents voiced annoyance of their dates use of mobiles in the bedroom! However the British dinner table remains sacred, being considered as by far the rudest place to use a mobile device with laptops receiving particular criticism.
Mobile Malpractice
The thing about etiquette and manners is that they are always adapting and changing, continues Genevieve. The pace of technology right now makes us feel like we are constantly behind. When we look at the survey data and begin to understand the frustrations and in some cases confusion around how mobile devices are used, its clear that some things will remain anti-social for generations to come.
