Why you shouldn't eat and tweet

We have all seen the commercials, and witnessed real-life examples, of people walking into traffic, head down intently focused on their mobiles. Maybe you have been one of these poor souls yourself. To be honest this type of behavior is becoming typical...and not just with our youth, who always seem to be thumbing their device. Many adults now sport an Android/iPhone as well as one of the many assortment of tablets--a trend which ultimately increases their "coverage" and usage, while at the same time decreases their social etiquette and common sense.

While we are passionate proponents of information and knowledge being available to people worldwide, this zombie-like behavior that is becoming so prevalent in society is an unfortunate side-effect. There are some places and situations where taking out our mobile phones to update our facebook status, check our tweets, comment on a LinkedIn discussion, and "check-in" is not advisable.

Social media addiction in these situations is typically unacceptable:

1. During family dinner time.
2. On a first date.
3. Work luncheons, or while doing performance reviews with your boss.
4. During church.
5. While jogging or in the middle of any strenuous exercises (think bench press).
6. On top of a high building.
7. While driving (good luck on this one).
8. In an airplane after they have asked you to turn off all devices.
9. When meeting you future father-in-law for the first time.
10. While taking an important exam, like college entrance exam or finals. 
11. And some we will not mention

If we choose to give in to our social media addictions anyway, some consequences could include:

1. During family dinner time--estranged wife and children, the night spent on the couch.
2. On a first date--may also be the last date.
3. Work luncheons, or while doing performance reviews with your boss--you may be looking for a new job.
4. During church--excommunication.
5. While jogging or in the middle of any strenuous exercises (think bench press)--serious bodily harm or death.
6. On top of a high building--loss of mobile or death.
7. While driving (good luck on this one)--death again.
8. In an airplane after they have asked you to turn off all devices--you may become good friends with TSA personnel. 
9. When meeting you future father-in-law for the first time--wedding may be called off, or if you make it that far, you may be out of the will.
10. While taking an important exam, like college entrance exam or finals--suspension.
11. And some we will not mention--use your imagination. 

Luckily, there are many tools to help you control your addictions. Some of these are:
Tweetbeep -- It keeps track of conversations that mention you, and gives you hourly updates! You can even keep track of who's tweeting your website or blog.
Hootsuite --  View all of your social media sites in one place, AND schedule out future status updates and tweets.
Twittercounter and Twoolr --  Check out all the statistics about your twitter account.
The Archivist -- This site archives interesting tweets of your choosing, so you can retweet them later.