In 2014 the U.S government conducted research on cellphone use among Adults. The results show an upward trend in the first half of 2014 with a four percentage points gain over a previous study done just 6 months earlier. About 43 % of adults living in the U.S are in homes with only cellphones.  About nine out of ten Americans are likely cellphone owners and almost two-thirds are likely smartphone owners (See here). With the increasing importance of mobile devices, Americans are inventing rules about how to use these apps in social meetings and public settings.

Cellphones can serve to connect people instantly but could be a distraction as well.  Many worry that as people engage with mobile apps in both public and social settings, this urges them to live “Alone Together” according to the title of Professor Sherry Turkle’s book. Professor Turkle considers that kind of life as socially stagnant and not good for communities. The close to fifteen years exploration of people’s digital way of life by Professor Turkle found disturbing relationships among people who are close such as parents, children, friends and even lovers as well as new uneasiness about the way we perceive privacy and community(See here). In contrast, researcher Keith Hampton’s study on people’s use of mobile devices in public settings shows instead of limiting group social interactions, those devices fill time when people wait or during other institutional moments. Generally, Hamilton’s research revealed that for the last 30 years, instead of aloneness, or digital interruption there is gender equality. That is something that would’ve been unthinkable in America 30 years ago (See here).

These issues need consideration as people should not view rules of etiquette as merely small niceties but rather as truly impacting the way humans deal with each other as well as the make up of public settings. This was the subject of a Pew Research.

The results of the survey shows hundred of Americans hold different and shaded beliefs about new civil behavior. They are studying the neo-etiquette of mobile existence. In some instances, they confirm the social benefits of prolonged connectivity and in other instances lament the distractions which screen causes to social gatherings. On some occasions they welcome the ability to have both people and information right away, but on other occasions, they feel wronged when others try to use it to their own advantage.

In some instances, they show support for being around others physically but in other instances, they quickly look at screens while in groups which have in-person conversation.

To read the original article (See here).