Manners maketh the smartphone user

The smartphone has revolutionzed the way we communicate and access information, but what about the effect it's had on our wider society?

New research from business technology company Pitney Bowes looks at the tricky topic of smartphone e-etiquette -- and no, that doesn't mean sticking out your little finger as you use your phone.

The research carried out among more than 1,100 people in the UK identifies a list of digital behaviors that most people consider to be rude. The worst offenses are being disturbed by someone talking on a phone in a public area (71 percent of us feel this is rude, up from 13 percent in 2013), and checking texts during a business lunch (63 percent, up from 45 percent in 2013).

Yet in spite of this many people admit to behaving in ways they find rude in others. Among the respondents, 62 percent admit that they text while walking in a public place, 53 percent use capitals in texts/emails just to make a point and 48 percent talk on a phone in a public place.

"As we rapidly embrace new smartphone innovations, new social etiquettes are forming and testing how we communicate and work with each other," says Andy Berry, VP EMEA, Software Solutions at Pitney Bowes. "We can no longer ignore the impact that the smartphone is having on modern manners and interaction. At Pitney Bowes we're working to help businesses connect the dots of their customers' lives, so they can deliver the right messages through the right channels at the right time."

You can find out more about the latest e-etiquette and what is and isn't acceptable in polite smartphone society on the Pitney Bowes website.

Image Credit: Pitney Bowes