Phubbing
Phubbing, a blend of the words "phone" and "snubbing," refers to the social behavior where individuals ignore those around them to focus on their smartphones. Coined in 2012 by the Australian advertising agency McCann Melbourne, the term emerged from a campaign aimed at highlighting the negative impacts of mobile device usage in social settings. As smartphone usage has skyrocketed globally in the twenty-first century, concerns have arisen regarding its effect on interpersonal relationships. Research indicates that phubbing can lead to dissatisfaction, distrust, and resentment among partners in romantic relationships, as well as strain friendships. In response to this behavior, some individuals and businesses are establishing boundaries around smartphone use during social gatherings, such as requiring phones to be placed in the center of the table. The phenomenon underscores a growing cultural challenge as people navigate the balance between technology engagement and meaningful in-person interactions. Overall, phubbing reflects a broader societal shift in communication practices in the digital age.
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Phubbing
Phubbing, a combination of the words phone and snubbing, is a social behavior in which a person ignores people in his or her company in favor of looking at a smartphone. Smartphone usage has soared in the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries in the twenty-first century. This has created several issues surrounding smartphone use in social situations. Research has shown that phubbing can negatively affect relationships.
Overview
The Australian advertising agency McCann Melbourne coined the term phubbing in 2012 to describe a practice by people who focus on their phones and other devices instead of paying attention to friends, spouses, and others in social settings. They launched the Stop Phubbing campaign as a way to draw attention to the rude behavior and promote polite mobile device usage. They created the StopPhubbing.com website with faux statistics and introduced the concept in the YouTube video "Phubbing: A Word Is Born." While the campaign was created as part of an advertising campaign to introduce the Macquarie Dictionary of Australia, usage of the term spread worldwide.
While humorous, the intent of the campaign was serious. Creators wanted to highlight how mobile devices have pervaded private moments and social gatherings. These events have turned into hangouts where individuals spend more time checking their phones than actually interacting with the people right in front of them. When people look at the screen of a phone, their minds wander, and they do not pay attention to the individuals around them. Phubbing has created much resentment by the people being phubbed toward the phubbers, as the phubbers ignore the presence of others to answer phone calls, send text messages, or check social media statuses.
While mobile phones have existed since the 1970s, modern smartphones emerged in the 1990s and became popular in the years that followed. Smartphones allow users to access the internet, run applications, and communicate with others via social media. Many individuals admit to being addicted to checking their phones multiple times throughout the day—one study revealed that people in the United States and United Kingdom check their phones up to 150 times per day on average. People even admitted to checking their phones in inappropriate situations, such as at work, while in line at the grocery store, or during church.
Research has shown that the act of phubbing hurts interpersonal relationships. In romantic relationships, it can cause dissatisfaction, distrust, and resentment among partners. Many partners of phubbers feel as if their time is not valuable since the phubbers choose to check their phones instead of interacting with them. Friendships may also suffer from phubbing, and people may feel that a phubber's phone is more important than the friendship.
To combat feeling ignored, some individuals set boundaries regarding the phubber's phone use. For example, at a restaurant, they may set a rule requiring all diners to place their phones in the center of the table. The person who reaches for his or her phone first has to pay the entire bill. They may set times when phubbers are not allowed to use or look at their phones. In addition, some businesses have banned smartphone use, encouraging customers to "talk to each other instead" to get people to put down their phones and foster real-time communication.
Bibliography
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Dunne, Daisy. "Is 'Phubbing' Destroying Your Relationship? Snubbing Someone Mid-Conversation in Order to Check Our Phone Is on the Rise as New Research Reveals We Look at Our Handsets up to 150 Times a Day." Daily Mail, 18 June 2017, www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4598938/Phubbing-ruining-relationship-study-finds.html. Accessed 24 Oct. 2017.
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Pathak, Shareen. "McCann Melbourne Made Up a Word to Sell a Print Dictionary." AdAge, 7 Oct. 2013, adage.com/article/news/mccann-melbourne-made-a-word-sell-a-dictionary/244595. Accessed 24 Oct. 2017.
"Phubbing." Techopedia, www.techopedia.com/definition/29613/phubbing. Accessed 24 Oct. 2017.
Seppälä, Emma. "Are You 'Phubbing' Right Now? What It Is and Why Science Says It's Bad for Your Relationships." Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2017/10/13/are-you-phubbing-right-now-what-it-is-and-why-science-says-its-bad-for-your-relationships. Accessed 24 Oct. 2017.