‘Phubbing’ is a bad habit that says a lot about our era

Snubbing your friends in favour of your phone could be a symptom of depression or social anxiety. — AFP Relaxnews

Are you familiar with the concept of “phubbing”, the behaviour that consists of ignoring your companions in favour of your phone? A combination of the words “phone” and “snubbing”, “phubbing” may be fairly common but the reasons for this behaviour could indicate something more serious than what this practice, at first glance rude but seemingly harmless, might suggest.

Smartphones are literally everywhere now, and it seems that no one has any scruples about taking them out and using them in any context, even at parties, especially among young people. And so seeing a user effectively taken hostage by their device has become commonplace.