Serious question, has anyone else had a group watch totally ruined by one person's phone addiction?

We were six episodes into a rewatch of 'Steins;Gate' at my buddy's place in Tempe last month, right at the part where Okabe's whole world starts falling apart. This one guy, let's call him Mark, spent the entire time scrolling through his phone, not even looking up. Then during a super tense scene he just goes 'Wait, who's that again?' and we had to pause and explain the plot he'd missed. It completely killed the mood, like we were just giving him homework instead of sharing the experience. I finally snapped and said 'Dude, either watch with us or go text in the kitchen, this is ridiculous.' He got all defensive, but the rest of the night was awkward and quiet. How do you even handle that without sounding like a total jerk? Do you just stop inviting that person?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_ben1mo ago

Have you considered that some people use their phone to manage social anxiety in group settings? The distraction might be a coping mechanism, not just rudeness, which means a quiet word before the next watch could fix it without a scene.

morgan.cameron1mo ago

That point about it being a coping mechanism is so spot on. I've been in that spot myself, feeling overwhelmed at a big table and just needing to look at my screen for a minute to reset. A quiet, kind word before things start is always better than calling someone out and making their anxiety worse. It shows you actually care about them being comfortable, not just about the rules of the event.