Do you text while driving or talk loudly on your phone in public? If the answer is ‘yes’, you are guilty of ‘public display of technology’.

According to Intel’s Mobile Etiquette survey which sought to uncover bad mobile habits, those gripes are UAE residents’ pet mobile technology peeves from a pool of over 500 respondents.

As the innovator behind the processors and complementary technologies that power many of today’s mobile devices, Intel undertook this  study to provide a glimpse into how people in the UAE use, will use or would like to use technology, including mobile devices, well into the future. 

About 50 per cent of respondents indicated that they checked their mobile device before going to work in the morning with almost a third (31 per cent) doing that before they even get out of bed.

Mobile technology has become an integral part of people’s public profile, with the devices often standing as a status symbol (48 per cent of respondents identified with this statement), said the survey.

Nassir Nauthoa, Intel general manager for the GCC, said: “The research shows that people’s tolerance levels are rising and the use of mobile devices is now so pervasive in our society that 70 per cent of respondents felt it’s necessary to have its own code of conduct. It is a difficult phenomenon to regulate as people’s feelings and emotions are involved. After all, these devices enable us to keep in touch not just with friends and family, but also with a wider community of ‘kindred spirits’.

“When we look at the survey data and begin to understand the frustrations – and in some cases confusion – around how mobile devices are used, it becomes obvious that we are still at an evolutionary stage,” he said.

Social media, which drives much of the mobile device traffic, is very much included within this demand for mobile manners – thanks to a wide array of etiquette breaches. While usage models vary across individuals and devices, most (86 per cent) respondents said they check their social media status daily. Of that 43 per cent check more than 3-4 times a day, and 13 per cent check more than once an hour.

Yet there are limits to acceptance of mobile device usage, and there remain sacrosanct areas of etiquette which people are reluctant to breach. The dinner table, and the public bathroom, are examples that were identified as undesirable places to use mobile technology – whether a smartphone or a laptop, the study said.

Using someone else’s account to post a joke, over sharing of personal information and tagging unflattering photo of your friends are highlighted as the most objectionable offenses people commit, according to 60 per cent of the respondents. 

The top mobile etiquette gripes continue to be the use of mobile devices while driving (71 per cent), talking on a device loudly in public places (62 per cent), and losing awareness of surroundings or conversations while texting or typing (54 per cent).

Intel suggests the following mobile etiquette tips to those who use a variety of mobile devices on a daily basis:
• Practice what you preach: If you don’t like others’ bad behavior, don’t engage in it.
• Be present: Give your full attention to those you are with, such as when in a meeting or on a date. No matter how well you think you multi-task, you’ll make a better impression.
• The small moments matter. Before making a call, texting or emailing in public, consider if your actions will impact others. If they will, reconsider, wait or move away first.
• Talk with your family, friends and colleagues about ground rules for mobile device usage during personal time.
• Some places should stay private: Don’t use a mobile device while using a restroom. – TradeArabia News Service