Anti-social smartphones

The “phone pull” begins at the moment of personal recognition. Whether from across the room, on the walk to class or perhaps a 3 a.m. Thursday stumble to Taco Bell, you see someone you know, and eye contact is made.

You know him, he knows you, and an awkward aura fills the free space between you and the quickly approaching “last person I’d want to see right now.” Both sides need to get where they’re going, and there’s no turning back.

You’ve had interactions with one another, good or bad, but for some particular reason, shared recognition between looming characters is simply not happening. Anxiety strikes the senses. What do you do?

After talking to IU students and making social observations, I’ve identified a pattern. At times of social uncertainty, young adults have a tendency to use phones as a social avoidance.

You checked Twitter 20 seconds ago, but you’ve never been so eager to read about someone’s epic hangover. No, the phone didn’t sound or vibrate, but what a perfect time to re-read texts. Especially those gems sent in the ride home from Sports at 3 a.m.

The traditional act of acknowledging an acquaintance’s existence through social gesturing is becoming a lost art.

More common is the “phone pull” from your pocket where you appear to be fully engaged and oblivious of your surroundings. You could be walking with your head down straight into the eye of a tornado and not know it.

Hey, going for a ride in the sky is better than looking up from a Snapchat that expired eight seconds ago. Anything is better than having to engage in this confrontation.
Once the phone pull tactic occurs between two individuals, chances of a potential relationship are decimated. This applies to all relationship types.

Will your action be worth it in the long run? Pulling out your phone to “call” your friend Chip could tarnish any possibility of healthy, beneficial relations.

Obviously, there are certain circumstances when the phone pull strategy is acceptable, and some decision-making is in order.

At times like these I try and ask myself, “Do I really want to come off as rude, arrogant or even cowardly?” Maybe you couldn’t care less about an individual and what he or she thinks of you.

Most times, I genuinely appreciate people I’ve met and wouldn’t want to jeopardize their acceptance by purposefully dodging them. The more people I’m on good terms with the better.

I, like others, am a culprit of this socially ignorant act and understand its display of immaturity. So persistent diligence to end such acts is imperative.

You never know the impact a simple “Hey!” can have on a person’s day. Come on, how would you feel if you were able to say hi to yourself on a walk down Jordan?

A lot better than if you hadn’t.

­— rdeavila@indiana.edu