The Gadget Etiquette

We all have gadgets. But not all of us know how to use them properly. In your life, I’m pretty sure you had, or have, that friend who constantly hump his face with a screen. And that’s just one of many examples that not all of us know that unspoken rules of gadgetry. So, here are those few rules that I’ve discovered :

Treat it as a tool

The first and unsurprisingly foremost. Many people seems to treat gadgets as some sort of replacement. Primarily, a replacement of their friends and social life. I remember there’s time where sending virtual coffee cup is a thing on Facebook. Thankfully that thing is just a past (or is it?). But some of them remain today. There are some randos who used to chat their friends online but is an absolute introvert in real life. Not to mention people who keep staring at their screen even though they are in a middle of a meeting.

Technology is a tool. A tool to get through life easier. Not by letting it replace certain aspect of your life but by helping you doing it. So please, treat it as a tool.

Extreme Fanboyism

I have a friend who is an Apple fanboy. He constantly boasts about the so-called technology that is embedded in his Apple once in a while. “My screen is better than yours because mine is Retina!” Oh boy. I’m sure that everybody who is into technology will agree that he is annoying.

Trusting a certain brand is normal. But disgracing other brand because it isn’t yours is not cool. Don’t be like him, you shouldn’t do that.

Be smart with ads

Nowadays advertisement is everywhere, but not all of them are useful. Sure, there are some ads that offer you discounts at your favorite store or something like that. But more often than not, these ads are just a cover to some scamming program or spam bots. I bet that you have been deceived by that janky fake download button at least once. I did, it gave me some pop-ups, one of them being a porn site. And other than the download button, there are also those fake “You won an award” ads. Some of us still believe in those things, unfortunately. I’m sure that will also lead to yet another spammy website. Others will force you to install an app. And more methods are being invented everyday, so be selective with ad windows in your browser.

Avoid taking pictures with your tablet

Now into the smaller yet important thing, don’t take pictures with your tablet. Seriously, you will look like a fool. A tablet is just straight not suitable for taking pictures.

It’s not just a pure sentimental awkwardness, though. First, tablets generally have a worse camera than a smartphone. Second, when you lift your tablet to take pictures there’s a risk that you will block the view of someone behind you, if you’re in a crowd or maybe a show. Unless there’s no other imaging hardware around you, don’t use it.

Use your own model charger

Simply put, use the charger included in the box. Those chargers have the best amount of amperage and voltage your gadget needs. Lower amount will charge your device slower and higher amount will charge your gadget faster but your battery will age faster too. So it is best to use your exact model charger.


The thing about etiquette is this : it is not an obvious rule. Yet people — especially those whose interest is in technology — are concerned about it. So what I’ve typed above is maybe an abstract thing, but if it made sense to you, hopefully you will become a wiser gadget-wielder.

Because it isn’t obvious and written, of course there are more, but these 5 are, I think, the most important misbehaviours that people should know and understand.

I hope it’s helpful to you.