Less Phones, More Talk


In our contemporary society, far too many people are more interested in whatever is happening on their phones than the people around them. Visit any restaurant, and you will notice people mindlessly staring at their personal devices rather than interacting with those around them. This habit is hurting relationships and shortening attention spans.

The best way to build a relationship is through one-on-one interaction, and the habit of constantly checking your phone unfortunately gets in the way of that. When you are on the phone during dinner with a friend, you are sending the message that he or she is not that important to you. You may still be able to pay attention to what your friend is saying, but you are communicating a message of disrespect by looking at your phone and not making eye contact. Without eye contact, it is nearly impossible to be fully engaged in the conversation. When your eyes are fixed on your phone, your companion may not share as much information with you or worse yet, he or she may not want to spend time with you in the future.

Many people think that they have to check their phones and be connected at all times. However, the reality is that very few things are so important that they need to be followed at all times. The latest posts on social media will not simply go away if you have not checked them in the past five minutes. In the event that you are awaiting an important phone call or text, you can simply tell your dinner partner "excuse me" and not that you have to check something on your phone. You would not walk away while someone was talking without saying anything, and the same holds true for when you check your phone. Entering the world of your phone is essentially walking away because you are no longer fully present and aware of what the other person is saying.


Match the purpose of each statement from the text to the text statement itself.


to explain how one can strengthen personal relationships


to explain why attention to one's

phone can hurt relationships


to present a similar situation

that logically proves the point


to inform about the policies that

restaurants have for cell phone use


to state an overall thesis governing

what is argued in the essay


to provide a solution to the problem

of preoccupation with cell phones

Text Statement Purpose


You would not walk away while

someone was talking without

saying anything . . . .


This habit is hurting relationships

and shortening attention spans.


Without eye contact, it is nearly

impossible to be fully engaged

in the conversation.