Let’s face it: as much as you love having a smartphone and being hyper connected to the world around you, you’re secretly pleased that most standard issue mobile devices now come with a “do not disturb” function. Getting texts from the people you want to talk to is always excited, but getting a few too many from the people you don’t want to talk to at totally inappropriate hours (like while you’re trying to sleep off a hangover at nine in the morning on a Saturday) just isn’t what you signed up for.
Your relatives, friends, and bosses definitely mean well, but all this instant connectivity has created a world in which there is virtually no communication etiquette. Gone are the days in which no one would dare to contact another human being during dinner time, and most people don’t think twice about waiting until after breakfast to “blow up” a friend’s phone.
Here are six such moments in which you almost considered selling your smartphone and moving off the grid to get away from it all:
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Your Boss Was Being Too Pushy
“Yes, Mr. Smith, I already told you I was going to be a few minutes late. There’s really no reason for you to ask me when I’ll be arriving again, or which train station I just passed on my commute. Some homeless person decided to take a nap on the third rail, so it’s going to be a while.”
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Your Mom Texted You About Something Important
You love your mother more than anything, but man, her text messages are kind of the worst. They’re always filled with superlative and inflammatory statements about what kind of child you were growing up (“your sister never asked me to help her with college tuition”), and how ungrateful you are for not sending your Great Aunt Mildred a Christmas card (you did).
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Your Mom Texted You About Something Unimportant
…even her nicest messages might have to be ignored. You’ve been burned before.
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Your Friends Sent You Obnoxious “Wish You Were Here” Pictures From the Bar
You’re already feeling guilty enough about having to miss the festivities in the first place. Why do you need a drunken, blurry play-by-play?
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Your Significant Other Was Being Needy
You two might have the best relationship in the world, but every once in a while, you’ll be on the receiving end of a wall of text detailing all the things you’ve done incorrectly. Sometimes, the best way to handle a text fight is just to wait until you’re in person to respond to any attempts at passive-aggression.
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Your Older Relative Couldn’t Figure Out Technology
You have a lot of cousins and a sibling or two. They’ll find someone weak eventually, right?