Monday, June 18, 2012

Mobile Etiquette on Vacation

This morning, I heard from my sister in China that a guy threw a bundle of ¥100 notes to the air in Canton Baiyun International Airport (¥100 RMB ≈ $15 USD). Surprisingly, nobody seemed to care about the money. People pulled out their phones and cameras and started taking pictures. I assume that quite a few of them would have immediately shared the “moment” on the internet.

That is interesting. I wonder if we have become too obsessed with social media. If so, now it is time to remind ourselves the mobile etiquette. Let’s see if you agree to the following “mobile etiquette on vacation” that is discussed in a Fox News video.

  • Pay attention to the tour guy. What are some examples of “not paying attention” when the tour guy is talking? In my opinions, these behaviors should be avoided: talking with others or on the phone, having the plugs on the ears, searching information or checking in with the phone, and not following instructions. What else do you think?
  • Post pictures of a real person rather than those of a well-known tourist spot. There are many high-quality and professional pictures about those famous spots on the internet already. There is no need to add more unless s/he is also professional photographer. From time to time, I think it is acceptable if one shares a limited number of pictures taken in small places that are not searchable on the internet.
  • Ask for permissions before tagging others in a picture. I agree. Most pictures I posted on the internet are about myself (so that I don’t need permissions). Occasionally, I tagged my friends if they were in the pictures with me. Normally, I selected the pictures in which my friends looked good. More importantly, I usually asked for their permissions in advance and always allow others to untag themselves. Likewise, if somebody tags me in a picture that I do not like, I will untag myself. If necessary, I will politely ask my friend to remove the picture on the internet.
  • Publish pictures after a vacation is completed because others may feel jealous about the updates, according to this video. Honestly, I have never felt jealous about my friends’ vacations before. Now that I know this etiquette, I will keep in mind that somebody else might feel jealous about my vacation. Personally, I think it would be fine if one uploads the pictures at the end of a day (during or after a vacation) --- if somebody would feel jealous about others’ vacation, s/he would do that anyway, no matter when the pictures are uploaded. Would you agree?
  • Do not use tablets or phones in the dark unless one is there by himself/herself. The light from the screen could bother others.
  • Use headphones thoughtfully. Headphones need to be taken off when we are talking or listening to others. If traveling in a bus or a plane, we should lower the volume of the headphones because others may feel annoyed by the small noise coming out from a headset.   

I believe that etiquette is about being nice and thoughtful to others. I would like to hear your thoughts on “mobile etiquette on vacation.” What do you think? Is mobile etiquette necessary? Is there anything else you would like to add to this list?

Relevant discussions:

3 comments:

  1. This is actually interesting concerning what is called "mobile etiquette". I'm not very familiar with the proper manner of dealing with social medias but as I read the following details about it, it's some good reminders of the appropriate ways of dealing with social media.

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    1. Thank you for your feedback. I am glad you've found this post useful.

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  2. Those who have mastered etiquette,who are entirely, impeccably right,would seem to arrive at a point of exquisite dullness.

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