Smart phones in the hands of stupid people

Last week I attended a new business presentation made by executives of a major corporation whose name you would know instantly. I went to the meeting as a member of a committee of a not-for-profit organization that is charged with making a purchase worth more than $30 million, so, needless to say, we are interviewing a number of companies. The presentation was held at the local branch office of one of those companies.

This particular company called out all the troops. There were senior vice presidents, plain old vice presidents, managers and supervisors. Each executive, at one point, stood up and presented the specific capabilities for which he or she was responsible.

Let me preface what I’m about to say by acknowledging that I recognize that I’m an old fogey. I’ve been retired for five years. I have gray hair and wrinkles. I will admit I was a bit baffled by some of the technological aspects of the purchase we were discussing but I pretended like I understood.

But what I didn’t get – and refuse to understand – is why every executive in the meeting, if he or she wasn’t talking at any given moment, was looking at his or her smart phone. There was lots of wrist action, so I’m assuming they were answering text messages or responding to emails. Or, maybe, they were checking the stock market. Or Facebook. Or watching porn. Or TV. Or reading books. Or shopping at amazon. Or asking their significant others what they wanted to do for dinner. 

Whatever they were doing, they might as well have worn signs on their foreheads that said, “We don’t give a shit about your business." Sure, all of them had heard the spiels their co-workers were giving before, but it would have been nice had they left their phones on their desks, feigned interest and given the illusion they cared about our business. But none did.

If I were their boss, I would have, two minutes after the meeting ended, sent a text firing every executive who attended that meeting. All would have been in the unemployment line the next morning, where they could examine their smart phone screens at their leisure while scanning Monster.com or Craigslist or LinkedIn or however it is people find jobs these days, I have no clue.  

Technology is great, but not when it replaces common sense. Or common courtesy.

I could go on and on but my iPhone just dinged which means I have a text and you, my dear readers, can’t possibly be as important as whatever message it may contain so I’m finished here.

See what I mean?