“Phubbing” means when during a conversation one of the interlocutors gives preference to a device.
Scientists have explained the meaning of the new term “phubbing” and also found out why it has become the norm to interrupt a conversation with a person for the sake of a smartphone.
“Phubbing” means when, during a conversation, one of the interlocutors prefers a device (mobile phone, tablet) to read a message, update a news feed on social networks, check email, etc., distracting themselves from live communication.
The term originated as a combination of the English words “phone” and “snubbing” and was included in the Macquarie Dictionary in 2013.
To learn more about this phenomenon, experts conducted a study involving 251 volunteers. The participants were predominantly women, and the age of all volunteers ranged from 18 to 66 years.
Participants had to answer questions in distributed questionnaires. Analysis of the answers showed that girls are much more often distracted by devices while communicating with another person. Scientists also found that phubbing “heats up” the experience of missing out on some important or interesting news on the Internet.
According to researchers, this new social phenomenon has become a permanent part of people's lives because they regularly and even automatically prefer mobile phones to live communication and constantly observe the same situation in others. It should be noted that previously such behavior caused bewilderment in the interlocutor who was ignored, but after just a few years such a reaction is observed less and less often, and phubbing is taking root in our lives ever more deeply.
