Phone Snubbing&Phubbing

What is the phubbing? 

The act of ignoring one's companion to pay attention to a phone.

It may be commonplace, snubbing one’s friend can have seriously repercussions on relationship, there are a variety factors that may drive individuals to ignore their friends in favor of an electronic screen, according to a new University of Georgia study.

The study reveals positive association between depression and social anxiety on increasing phubbing, depressed people are likely to phub their friends more frequently, and social anxious people, who might prefer online social interactions to face-to-face communication, might also exhibit more phubbing behavior. Personality traits such as neuroticism also influence phubbing behavior. 

She paid regard to negative reasons behind phubbing firstly, smartphone addiction and relatedly, the habit of constantly reading notifications that pop up onscreen. With each buzz or sound, we look at our phones inescapably, noting that the device’s wide utility across applications, are key drivers fostering this dynamic.

Ones of significant reasons in the study, that agreeableness individuals have a low instance of phubbing in the presence of their friends. People who agreeableness as a personality trait tend to show cooperative, polite, and friendly behaviors in their impersonal relationships and social settings. Agreeableness people have a high tendency to maintain social harmony while avoiding arguments that can ruin their relationships. 

Though they may prioritize strong relationships, an exploratory study by the researchers revealed phubbing also to be a more likely in the presence of three or more people. That dynamic may influence the prevalence of phubbing in the context of a work environment.

It’s ironic that while people believe that phubbing behavior is rude, but they still do it. Alternately, disabling or turned over a phone can indicate a show to respect for a situation and focus on a person. That, too, is a signal. I’m listening to what you are saying, this meeting is important and I’m focusing on you.

People relied heavily on phones or technologies to stay connected during the pandemic. For many, staying connected in a more distanced manner via texts and video messaging was more comfortable than face-to-face interaction. Will people — particularly anxious ones — still phubb when physically reunited? Time will tell.