For
anyone who has had to wait for service while a shop assistant finished surfing
the net on a smartphone, it will not come as a shock.The
latest handsets and other mobile devices may be helping a new generation to
stay safer and better connected... but it’s making them ruder.
About
three in four people now believe manners have been wrecked by phones, laptops,
tablets and social media such as Facebook and Twitter, according to a poll by
the modern etiquette guide Debrett’s.
Some
77 per cent think social skills are worse than 20 years ago, while 72 per cent
think mobiles have encouraged rudeness. A report warned that company executives
are now watching to check if their young employees are becoming over-dependent
on their smartphones and screens in the office.
Some
are ‘so over-reliant on computers and spellchecks that they don’t even know how
to write a letter any more,’ one told Debrett’s.The
worry over the impact of mobile-dependency on the generation who have grown up
with smartphones is the latest development in the spread of digital bad
manners.
It
follows years of growing parental frustration over teenagers who text at the
table, anger among cinema audiences about phone conversations during the film,
and occasional outbursts from actors provoked by ringtones from the stalls.
According
to a report, ‘the introduction of advanced mobile technology and superfast connectivity
to businesses has boosted the Treasury by billions of pounds and will continue
to do so for decades to come.
‘However
the pitfalls of over-reliance on technology are being revealed.’ A survey
carried out by One Poll among 1,000 people found that 77 per cent think social
skills now are worse than they were 20 years ago, and 72 per cent think mobiles
have encouraged rudeness.
Nearly
two thirds, 65 per cent, thought the importance of online relationships to many
young people has had a negative effect on the way they conduct themselves when
face-to-face with friends or colleagues.
The
etiquette consultancy also conducted a study among a group of 58 senior executives
which found that well over half looked for social skills rather than academic
achievement in candidates for promotion.
They
believed that a major problem among young employees was ‘constant use of mobile
phones and social media in the office.’ A majority felt the written skills of
young employees were ‘appalling’.
The
report cited ‘a rift between virtual and real world personalities’, saying that
15 per cent of the people in its poll would feel confident walking into a room
where they didn’t know anybody, while 62 per cent would be confident about
creating a profile on a social networking site.
One
in four are uncomfortable about meeting a new colleague face-to-face, and
nearly half say they are nervous when they have to stand up in a meeting and
give a formal presentation.
Louise
Ruell, who runs business training for under-30s for Debretts, said: ‘Developing
and maintaining a high level of skills across social and professional spheres
is crucial to ensure success in both the workplace and everyday life.’
The
organisation has published an etiquette guide for smartphone users in an
attempt to steer people away from the most catastrophic failures of mobile
manners.
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