What is Phubbing and Why You Should Stop at Once

Phubbing is a term that is used more often lately. Sadly, most of us occasionally phub in our lives. Phubbing is a word combination, it combines the words phone and snubbing. Phubbing means you are engaging with your phone while you were initially engaging with another person. It’s considered “normal” behavior now because we are on our phones so much. We are programmed to take our phones when it makes a sound without thinking about where we are and what we are doing. Like a slave, we prioritize our phone (the master) instantly. You think it’s okay to phub when you quickly lock your phone’s screen because some notification was meaningless. But it’s not. You both know now that you were expecting something more important than the conversation you are having. (Of course, there are exceptions such as expecting an important message.) What’s demonstrating consideration and respect, is to hear a notification or a ringtone and then showing the person you don’t care about your smartphone by not grabbing it. Showing the person that whoever and whatever wants your attention: that can wait. But….what’s even better, is not to allow your phone to interrupt your or the other person’s train of thought in the first place. Give your smartphone 0 change to remind you and the person of its existence. Don’t have your phone on the table either, keep it out of sight! Even the mere presence of your phone on the table shows the other person that he or she is important, TILL your smartphone thinks it’s about time for you to pay attention to it once again.