I'm coining a new term today. Smartphone Arrogance. It seems pretty straightforward. Do I mean the way people show off their smartphones? Am I talking about the way they have to have the latest and greatest? What about the way they make a habit of selling last year's model for outrageous amounts because they need the money to buy the newest phone? Sure, that's the first thing that bothered me.
What followed is the things I knew would annoy me later. Send out an email and assume everyone will get it in real time because their smart phone will notify them. Know who has texting and who doesn't. You might actually be required to call someone and leave a message, but if they don't have a smartphone, at least send a text. I do not have my laptop tied to my hip. Of course there are other things; people assuming you have a data plan and can just look things up on the smartphone at the drop of a hat, but on Tuesday, I was caught in a hole because I did happen to see an email that said Jane's game practice was definitely on, but this was sent only minutes before we left the house. I had a feeling I better check because it had been raining hard off and on all day. Well, we got to the field, no one was there. Not a single sole. It was still raining. I also could not look up on my phone whether or not it was supposed to clear up. We left, assuming the lady must have emailed out a cancellation because she sends out these last minute emails frequently. We get home and it has finally cleared up. Go back? We decide not to, but I check email and no cancellation. Still thinking about going back, but if they were going to be there - 25 girls and 3 coaches, shouldn't SOMEONE have been there? We usually park at this parking lot where only about half the people park. This time we parked at the end where the coach normally parks so that we could see him arrive and know for sure. Not a sign of him anywhere.
After practice, Jane's friend who can be pretty smug sometimes calls and says the coach won't let her play in Saturday's game now because she missed a practice. WTH? They can show up late and then blame us for not having smartphones to find out what's up? Because we never got their phone numbers, only emails as contact info, but they have all of our phone numbers!
I get really really annoyed by smartphone owners a lot. I feel it's a bit like people who drive huge suburbans. They lose sight of the fact that there are others on the road and become bullies. I'm sure if I ever get a smartphone, I'll be prone to the same things, but I am pretty sure I will remember the reality. If you need someone to know something immediately, call them. Use phone numbers. Remember that texting is for things you want people to know soonish, but not necessarily NOW and email is for things that you need people to know eventually.
Plus, don't assume your smartphone is a great way to email because half the time, the email comes into my gmail garbled with ? and most smartphone people are too lazy to use punctuation and frankly, I don't even want to interpret your garbage anymore.
And if you have a smartphone and data plan, don't complain to me about money. I'm not saying we're broke, but we do have to choose between smartphone and satellite TV. I mean, we are in a world where people who have hundreds of dollars worth of electronic equipment can't figure out how to pay their power bills and people who think satellite TV and data plans are utilities like power and water. We've lost all perspective on what's necessary and what is a luxury so we work hard and still never seem to have money.
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