I go to school in Philadelphia. I don’t have a car. Great. To get around, I am forced to use public transportation. At the risk of sounding like a creeper, I think I would categorize myself as an avid people watcher. I think it’s interesting to observe different people in public and their habits.

One trend that I have been noticing in the past couple years is the increase in gadget use while on public transit: people talking on the phone, texting, listening to their iPods, or working on their laptops. It’s really amazing to see how technologically mobile our society has gotten in such a short amount of time. It used to be quite rude to talk on the phone while on a bus or something, but things like that seem to be common place now.

In addition, people use their gadgets as a way to avoid conversation. I know I’ve fake texted in a couple situations, hoping that an awkward seat partner wouldn’t start a conversation with me. I’m pretty sure other people do it to. If not, then I am a horrible person. Hahaha.

Any thoughts?