27 March 2013 - phone etiquette

Since the dawn of the cellphone age we’ve followed the rule “Please pretend to ignore my one-sided conversation.” With smartphone distraction syndrome growing, we’ve added “Please watch where I’m walking so that I don’t have to.” Both are special cases of the fundamental rule “Don’t draw attention to the rudeness of others.” But all that only shows how slow we are to adapt—what’s rude about natural behavior? Smartphones only need an app that points you which way to walk without colliding with anybody, and as for one-sided conversations, why not join in?