Nowadays, with the increasing popularity of smart phones (智能手機), it is not unusual to find a group of people sitting around the table, each playing with their smart phones separately instead of talking with each other face to face. As is vividly shown in the picture, the old lady is serving the table disappointedly, with all the other family members absorbed in their electronic products.
There are several reasons accounting for this phenomenon. Some people may lack the ability to communicate with others or the common interest while others claim that it’s a good way to relieve stress and embarrassment in social communications. Naturally, there are still others who are heavy smart phone users and fail to break away from the addiction.
As far as I’m concerned, it is essential for us to build closer social bonds through face-to-face conversations when getting together with our relatives, friends, classmates and colleagues. I strongly recommend that you put away your smart phones in such occasions not only to show respect for others but also to enjoy the gatherings and improve your communicative skills as well.