Thais choose phones over friends

[webfact]

"PHUBBING"
Thais choose phones over friends
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- More Thais are avoiding direct contacts with people around them when their mobile phones are within reach. A survey showed 71 per cent of respondents "phubbing" and most of them do that out of boredom or pop-up alerts on their handheld device.

Phubbing is the act of snubbing someone in a social setting by looking at your phone instead of paying attention.

In the survey by Weber Shandwick, 96 per cent of an unknown number of respondents aged from 12 to 45 said that they have been phubbed.

Eighty per cent of phubbing victims feel frustrated, angry or like the person is uninterested in them or the conversation.

Eighty per cent chose "during a one-on-one conversation" as the most frustrating situation to be phubbed. Ninety per cent phub because of boredom or something important comes up on their phone. "While traveling together (car, BTS/MRT, etc.)" was chosen as the most acceptable place to phub, with "at a bar" as the second most acceptable. Nine per cent chose "none are acceptable." 84.31 per cent are against phubbing.

"I phub because I can't say what I want to the person in front of me. I can let out my anger about them to my online friends," said one 12-year-old female.

"I do it because the people around me wouldn't mind anyway," said a 35-year-old male.

"When I'm insecure around people, I phub. I can chat with my friends who make me feel more confident," said a 20-year-old male.

"I phub all the time, but I know it lessens real interaction because I don't communicate directly with the people around me. I'm trying not to do it as much," said one female, age 15. "We shouldn't phub when other people are trying to have a conversation with us, but I still phub anyway even though I know I shouldn't."


-- The Nation 2013-09-26

[DocN]

What happens, when Thainess collides with the technology eg. the real world!

[CelticBhoy]

Everyone loved pubbing in Glasgow when I was young.

[Neilly]

[johnlandy]

What happens, when Thainess collides with the technology eg. the real world!

'Thainess' is that the imagined personal trait that only a Thai can / could ever possess.

Edited September 26, 2013 by johnlandy

[malcyx]

its called keeping with the times..

maybe the person they are with or whats being talked about

doesn't interest them .

Think its a world wide thing not a thai thing 5555

[LomSak27]

Its a socially accepted behaviour pattern to ignore others, something lots of thais like - as social interaction play on superior inferior social realities that whilst thais say are part of thai culture - many want out of, yet cannot say so, But do so by phubbing

[FalangBaa]

Bangkok is not the worst offender in this regard. That distinction definitely goes to Phubket.

[ratcatcher]

"What we have here is a failure to communicate"

Strother Martin - Cool Hand Luke

[gl555]

Happens all over the world. Chatting on your smartphone while ignoring the friends next to you. It's not just a Thai trait.

[winstonc]

no problem for me,after 5mins with the average thai there aint much to say.its not like there going to talk about the latest book theyv read...etc..my age range of course....

[jmccarty]

phubing is probably better than fapping in public! Oops, can I say that?

[ggold]

OK I'll get in first! a new phub hub for Thailand

[pacovl46]

I was mugging (magazine + snubbing) people in bars.

[cup-O-coffee]

Perhaps it is entirely possible that this behavior is an indication that Thais are indeed capable of expressing themselves as human beings, and that perhaps this is a means to break out of their cultural stiff-necked stubbornness which is intolerant to saying what you've got to say, and instead pounds the human spirit and zeal into a weak, feeble0minded, timid state we see today in most kids.

It is entirely possible that this could bring on a revolution in the next generation or so where the younger set gets fed up with "being honest" via phubbing and begins to fight back at their own culture and tells the old generation "Shut the F..K up and let me finish what I was trying to say, and quit trying to tell me to shut up, or that I cannot do that."

This is an interesting case, but at present, I do not see much use for the kids to not phub as there isn't much to participate in with the idiots around them who treat them like furniture or servants anyways.

[Leung Falang]

no problem for me,after 5mins with the average thai there aint much to say.its not like there going to talk about the latest book theyv read...etc..my age range of course....

Like many of you, I'm in a long term relationship (married for me 22 years). I find that most Thai people I know whether educated or not, live on the surface. They are not curious, or they are too shy or afraid to bother you to find the details of nearly any subject. Even if their mother is sick, it is doubtful they know the nature of the illness, the medicine, and how to prevent it or what caused it-they just don't ask. They don't know the name of the medicine or its purpose. We go on and on about nearly any subject. They don't know much about world events either. Thainess............is boring.

[Thai foon]

95% of generalisations are stupid

[bangarang]

You know, it really is getting out of hand. When a group of my friends get together... 75% of the thai girls just on their phones... When you hanging out at a party and spending most of your time on the phone, whats the point of even leaving the house? Oh sorry, the point is to make it seem like you have an interesting life by taking selfies in many locations and posting your food to see how much fun your having when in fact your spending most of the time staring at your your phone... lol...

Im only 30, so im all about technology but come on... its getting out of hand.

[ChokDeeMak]

It is sad but I see it all the time. Especially in busy area sideway, MRT, BTS they walk like a snail and bury their noses in these Devices. I never kept my nose buried unless I was proving a point in some conversation I was having. Today, I wish I had 3G to explain better how Pasa Isaan came about. Because even talking in Thai Isaan people don't want to believe the roots are form across the river. Really though I have headphones to keep talking to a minimum. Smart phones are great for language training and Youtube fun but most Thais don't use their phone to the full potential. Just having it and playing with apps makes them "look cool". Plus, they have their little goofy phones in their pockets. Kids are also very Spoiled that is another problem though.

Edited September 26, 2013 by ChokDeeMak

[buck99]

I just returned home from a big builders supply store in Pattaya. As I checked out, every one of the many employees had their heads down busy on their cell phones. They seemed "put out" having to stop their texting/game playing and ring up my purchases. In the USA I had 3 manufacturing companies. I would allow my office employees to take quick important personal calls but would have never allowed what goes on in here in Thailand. Don't the managers care or are they busy on their cell phones too? Somebody must pay their wages. Does anyone care what goes on in their company??

[umbanda]

Nothing new...here and everywhere. More and more people are not sincerely interested in other people or other cultures anymore ...just in gossips..

[Kularion]

I just hate it !!! They should just install in restaurants for example some kind of devices which would not allow you to use social media like FB, Tweeter, Instagram etc or communicators like Line, WhatsUp, Tango etc !!! Me personally I'm just standing up and say something like "you know what as I can see you have something very important to do right now so maybe we can catch up some other time..." and leave

[HerbalEd]

This is by no means only a Thai thing. It is rampant world wide ... esp. in USA.

[DrTuner]

No wonder. Speak your mind to the Thai opposite you and you'll find yourself at the emergency ward fixing the broken nose and concussion you got, say the same to the surrogate in line/tango/whatever and live to see tomorrow. No promises about the day after tomorrow, though.

Easy to beat. Just leave the scene featuring the blubber (I too can make fancy new words, can't I ?) mid sentence and never look back. In a couple of decades they might learn. Or not. Can't beat them so join them .. simply ignore completely.

[Sing_Sling]

I was having a lunch meeting with a client who wants to engage my company's services again, this time for workforce optimisation and Project Management (China, clearly not in Thailand) and two tables next to us wee occupied by about 8 or 9 people on their lunchbreak . . . every singe one of them were on their <deleted> smartphones/tabs ....

My client looked resigned and mentioned that it is the same wherever she travels and when she hires staff, even mid-management, she is amazed how everyone lacks communications skills . . . because of these bloody things

[DrTuner]

I just hate it !!! They should just install in restaurants for example some kind of devices which would not allow you to use social media like FB, Tweeter, Instagram etc or communicators like Line, WhatsUp, Tango etc !!! Me personally I'm just standing up and say something like "you know what as I can see you have something very important to do right now so maybe we can catch up some other time..." and leave

A scrambler or some such, you can buy those gadgets from the internet shops with a range from few meters to around 50m. I too would prefer entertainment venues with no connectivity whatsoever, I hate the phones. But I reckon I'm in a very, very small minority in this. The closest you can get these days is to visit bars with 70+y old timers, who haven't adopted the always online lifestyle.

[dotpoom]

I have been floating an idea around my head lately of opening up a restaurant and calling it "Spoon-Feeders". The idea being that you no longer have to be distracted from your "Phoneplay" by the pesky food that you've ordered....how that cumbersome old fashioned way of doing things, like eating your food, must be. Actually having to take your hand off the precious tool in order to eat. Here at "Spoon-Feederds" you can play away to your heart's content....it's simple...the waiter simply spoon feeds you.

After that is up and running I am going to look into "hands-free" texting and talking on you mobile............. for all motor bike riders.... although I have to admit, they seem to be doing OK without that discovery at the moment around the Pattaya area anyway.

[marell]

Seems to me people are chooosing games (as opposed to phones per se) over friends. Phones are just the most convenient game playing platform. Actual interface with other humans doesn't seem quite as popular as gaming. Suppose it makes some degree of sense as games are predictable, controllable, private, always available, never ask questions, never get jealous and never ask you for favors. In a lot of ways it's easy to see why so many people establish serious realtionships with the little things.

Edited September 26, 2013 by marell

[dao16]

95% of generalisations are stupid

including this one (sorry, couldn't help throwing the ending on there)

[bristolgeoff]

very true every where really.i have thai friends who use facebook every 5 mins with a photo of anything or them themselves alone or with friends.it would be no different anywhere in the world now