Gadget Distractions

Individually we can justify nearly any gadget use and thanks to new technology the world has become a gadget superhighway that has no barriers. However, this new world in information access has many of us asking exactly what the limits should be. Just because our technology allows us to electronically connect no matter where we are does not necessarily make it okay to do so.

I was attending a conference a few weeks ago and in our row was an individual with an iPad device for taking notes while the rest of us old timers were armed with paper and pen. These new tablets are terribly fun gizmos that make it very difficult to not be seduced by their coolness. The iPad loving owner did their best to use it for only business purposes but boredom eventually crept in and we were all treated to a lovely show. His carefully typed notes magically disappeared when he thought no one was paying attention and new screens started popping up. What harm can come from typing a few emails, browsing Rotten Tomatoes, and ordering a new iPhone 4 during those boring moments? Surely the speaker and fellow guests will never notice, right?

Unfortunately, we did. When they were taking notes, we were watching them fumble with the on screen keyboard. When they were browsing the web we were seeing the reviews for their favorite movies. No matter what they did the warm glow of that magical piece of candy sucked us kids in. Though you could reasonably argue that any gadget with a backlight is a potential lollypop able to distract individuals within eyesight. It does not matter if it is a laptop, a BlackBerry or a Zune – the issue is that this technology gets more pervasive and interesting with each new generation and we simply cannot help but notice.

Would it be wrong to tell people who are using gadgets at a conference to stop using their device because they are distracting you? They would likely think you are rude and secretly wonder why you cannot mind your own business, but it is difficult to argue against how distracting these devices are. Is it okay to check a Twitter feed while you are at a restaurant? Is it acceptable to read work email in a training session? How about sending a text message in the back row of a conference? Everyone is doing it, why not me? We all use these portable communication and computing devices and perhaps we should all be struggling with the consequences of their use not just for us but for the individuals secretly watching next door. There is no definitive guide on the etiquette of gadget use but I suspect buying that new iPhone could wait until after the conference session.

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