This weekend, I came home for an appointment and to visit with my family. I went out to dinner with my mom to a very casual place called Jason’s Deli. While sitting there, there were several different things that I noticed people doing. Some of the things surprised me, and some of the activities didn’t surprise me.
One thing that I noticed most of the people doing was talking. If someone was with another person, they were talking. Most of the conversations were verbal, talking conversations. But, I did notice that the people talking were sometimes using their hands when saying something. Another nonverbal due I noticed was from the people listening. Their facial expressions were a big communication point if they weren’t actually saying anything.
There were also several people there by themselves. Most of these people were on their phones doing something. There was one older man that was reading a book or textbook of some form. The people using their phones did not surprise me in the least. Especially since they were by themselves. I know I am guilty of it too, but people tend to think that if they aren’t with someone, then they need to be on their phone or doing something other than just sitting there or just eating a meal. We as people tend to think that we constantly need to be connected to another person, or persons, or society. What did surprise me was that most people who were in a group of people, were not on their phones. There were a couple here and there that would get on their phones, but for the most part, people were actually engaged in the conversation at the table. This was very refreshing. I feel like society today is so technology and electronic centered that we don’t actually know how to communicate and engage with others. However, I will say that I am being a hypocrite if I don’t admit that I can get pretty technology/electronic centered at times. I do try to not get on my phone while eating dinner with others. I feel like it’s just a rude habit to be on your phone and not actively participating in what is happening right in front of you. Outside of meals, I will admit that I am someone who can get sucked into their phone. I try my hardest to recognize this and not let it happen to0 often, but I am human. I am not perfect, and it does happen. This is why it was refreshing to see that most people in the restaurant were not using their devices, and instead, they were actually talking and engaging with others.
Overall, most of what I saw was communication while eating dinner out. There was some nonverbal communication and other activities happening, but most of the communication was verbal. And as previously mentioned, it was nice to see that not too much technology was being used.