Smartphones have made our lives increasingly easier. They bring information and communication into the palm of our hand. But at the same time, people have a difficult time separating themselves from their devices. Some 92-percent of Americans believe smartphone addiction is real, with the average person touching their phone more than 2,600 times per day.
A new study by KDM Engineering investigated just how attached people are to their phones, and whether any semblance of smartphone etiquette is followed. In public, 57-percent of people admit to talking on the phone while on public transportation, 54-percent admit to texting and driving, and 62-percent of people say they rely on their phone’s GPS to get them around “almost all the time.”
Beyond that, smartphones have crept into people’s office lives. A surprising 10-percent of respondents said they’ve kept their phone out during a job interview. Once hired, the majority of people seem to agree that it’s inappropriate to either have or check their phones during a meeting, but more than half still do it.
Whether it’s taking a picture of a stranger in public and sharing it on social media, or being so attached to devices that they’re taken with us into the bathroom, KDM Engineering’s survey identified that modern smartphone etiquette is eroding, or at the very least, relaxing.