Whenever I go out to eat, I make sure I put my cell phone away and actually socialize with the people around me. It makes me uncomfortable to even have it sitting on the table. It wants to lure me in.
But not this time.
Everywhere I go, I see people on their phones. They're walking in their own world, really setting the example of how our future will be. Is it going to be all technology-based, where we literally have to rely on our phones 24/7? Is it going to eat us alive?
But it's kind of funny to see consumers run into people accidentally on purpose when they're sucked into their most recent Facebook status.
That is not why I write this. I write this because phones at the table do bother me. Very badly.
I recently went out on a cute little breakfast date with my boyfriend, and we are almost never on our phones while we're eating. When we wait for our food, we usually hold hands and talk about the "every day". But we never touch our phones, except to take pictures.
While we were eating, I noticed a father and daughter at a table, waiting for their food. Both of them were silent, and both of them were on their phones. How sad is that?
Honestly, it hurt my heart. I am not exaggerating when it comes to that.
This wasn't the first occurrence. There were hundreds before that bothered me, but this bothered me the most. I mean, it was a father and daughter. Is that how families are today?
It is so sad.
When I'm home during the summers, the rules still apply. No phones at the dinner table. Social media is irrelevant and the texts can wait.
I would literally get yelled at if my parents saw my phone anywhere near the table.
Don't get me wrong. I believe that in this day and age, we do need our phones. It has come to a point where we need a phone to help us.
I'm not attached to mine. I don't walk around with my head down and my phone in my hand, bumping into people and never paying attention to my surroundings. Social media is there, but I don't have an obsession with it. I can easily live without it.
I just think at some point, we need to drop them for a second and have that human connection at the dinner table. A fork in one hand and a cell phone in the other doesn't look good.
I believe technology has made a huge comeback in regards to our communication in society, but I don't know if it's good or bad. You can't go anywhere without a phone, and you can't eat anything without taking a quick picture before posting it on Snapchat. It's what we do.
Seriously, though. PLEASE, if anything, stop having your phone accompany you at the dinner table. Whether it's at home or a restaurant, it's inappropriate and it ruins the vibe.
Let's bring back regular conversations with family and friends while enjoying cocktails. Let it be normal again! No more phones at the dinner table!
