The Model T Ford did more than “spook the horses” when it debuted in 1908. Until then, we had one- horsepower horses for fast transportation and steam locomotives pulled people across long distances. New technology (The affordable car) arrived long before the infrastructure (roads, traffic laws) we needed to support it.
Thanks to cell phones, text messages and social media, we’re pretty much in the same place today. Transformational technology is here and there are very few rules of the road to make using them easy on us and the people around us.
Digital Wagon Train invites you to join the discussion of ethics and etiquette vis-à-vis these new toys. Share pet peeves, hard-won lessons you’ve learned and common-sense experience with these technologies. Help develop the social norms we need to keep social media from “spooking the horses.”
I’m happy to start:
• If you have to drive a car and talk on the phone (and you don’t), use a hands-free set and keep it short.
• Don’t read or send text / email messages while driving. Ever. Period.
• If you’re in a store checkout line, get off the phone, finish your purchase and move on.
Add your favorites, offer alternatives and get in on the discussion of living with our new toys without annoying the people around us, killing them or being killed by them.
Image Credit: Relationship Capital Institute
