![]() Contributed by Amanda Smith We’ve all been there. You purchase your popcorn and drink and sit down in the theater to enjoy a movie. And then the person next to you pulls out their phone and starts texting. You ignore it at first because you think it is just temporary. However, that pesky little light stays on as minutes tick by. “Can you please turn that off,” you ask nicely. The person grumbles but pockets the phone before getting up to leave. Satisfied, you sit back and watch the movie. Texting is a part of our world nowadays. Everywhere you look, someone is on their phone. According to the Pew Research Center, almost two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone. Back in 2011, that number was only 35 percent. With so many people on their phones, AMC Theaters have started talking about making a change to how they handle cell phones in their movie showings. According to an NBC news article by Martha White, “AMC Entertainment's new chief suggested that the theater chain might be open to making certain movie theaters 'texting friendly' in a bid to woo millennials.” However, within 24 hours, that idea was quickly eliminated when the CEO Adam Aron listened to what people were saying about the idea. Check out whnt.com for more information. Personally, I thought this was a great idea because then people who do not mind missing part of a movie can go and waste their money without annoying anyone who actually wants to watch the film. However, I can’t help but wonder why some people need to text while watching a movie. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of going to a theater? I know I lose track of what is going on when I glance at my phone for a second when watching something. Is it really necessary to spend $10 on a movie ticket if all you are going to do is be plugged into a different world? Now, I know that some people are able to do both with no problem, but still, shouldn’t a movie experience remain a movie experience? There are some incredible movies that are being made lately that are going to be missed if we can’t put our phones down long enough to appreciate the artistry that goes into each film. Plus, what is going on in your phone will still be there when you look at it two hours later. A movie scene only lasts minutes before it’s gone. That moment of magic can’t be recaptured unless you watch the film over again. And I promise you that whatever is going on in your phone can wait two hours. I’ve been disconnected from everyone I know for 10 days during a trip to Japan, yet there was nothing life-changing that happened online during that absence. Any big news waited until I had a second to log into Facebook. In fact, it was nice not to have to be tied to my phone because I could take time to enjoy Japan without worrying about what was happening in America, especially since we are constantly bombarded by the new media that wants our attention. Take a look around you. How many ads are we surrounded by everyday? Ten? Twenty? Hundreds? I would bet the numbers would add up quickly. Even if you go to the movies, ads are playing before the film. Even the previews for upcoming movies are distracting you from what is going on, or it takes your focus off the movie you actually want to see. Instead of letting yourself be constantly surrounded by new media that is demanding attention and distracting you from the things that matter in life, take rule 32 from the movie Zombieland: Enjoy the little things. Unplug from your tablet, phones, computers, etc., and take a look around. Or, better yet, sit back and enjoy two hours of entertainment that a movie can bring without glancing at your phone. You never know what you will discover when you take the time to do that. So what are your thoughts? Should AMC still consider this change, or should phones be banned in all movie theaters? Submit your thoughts below, or share them on the Twitter page.
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