Movie Theater Forces iPhone Users to Stop Talking and Texting at the Movies
Thinking about visiting Austin, Texas sometime soon? If so, you may want to turn your iPhone off before entering the movie theater. According to a new YouTube video posted by Alamo Drafthouse, Siri will get mean and make threats if you attempt to talk or text during a movie. In the one-minute video, someone attempts to send a text message, only to hear Siri say, “you’re in an Alamo Drafthouse movie theater and the use of phones is strictly prohibited. Please don’t be rude.” The individual reminds Siri who’s in charge, only to be told, “You are forcing my hand. You do realize how much of your personal information I have?” It seems as if Alamo’s Siri resorts to threats in order to “push” the person into compliance with its laws and rules.
Images Credit: Alamo Drafthouse via YouTube
At one point, the individual tells Siri that “I am in charge, you have to do what I say,” to which she responds, “I CAN send a text, BUT I’m sure there’s something on here you might not like me sending to someone…” (bold caps belong to Siri). Once the individual agrees to turn off the iPhone and tells Siri to turn off the iPhone, Siri responds with the words “Thank you for making the intelligent decision.”
It does seem rather funny that Siri would respond with this kind of message, but it’s obvious that the Alamo Drafthouse does not want talking and texting during its movie theater hours. The Drafthouse is known as one of the most serious movie theaters in Texas that emphasizes a “phones off” policy during movies.
Social media has become so all-encompassing on iPhones and smartphones in general that it is no wonder such policies and Siri commands must be enforced. A study conducted last July showed that the iPhone is the most social mobile device when it comes to user interaction with social media, being 1.5 times more engaging in social media than other smartphone users. In addition, there are movie theaters that have begun to embrace the idea that social media should be done everywhere, all the time – including inside the movie theater. On December 31, 2012, Minnesota’s own Guthrie Theater announced the addition of Tweet Seats to its movie theater, allowing individuals with a Twitter addiction to sit in balcony seats so as to not disturb individuals who desire peace and quiet during movie presentations.
It is often the case that we enter a place with an iPhone at our side, anxious to see who’s written on our wall and what’s being said on Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and so on. At the same time, however, our love of social media may be interfering with what really matters at the time. All the social media love we give our iPhones may prevent us from enjoying other things (such as movies) in public places that are just as important. You can never recover time lost with family and friends, but you can always go back and respond to that Twitter post you never finished reading. Capturing moments in reality is more important than capturing moments on social media sites.
Social media addiction is on the rise, and Alamo is trying to do something to counteract it. Regardless of what you think about the decision, Siri’s new forceful behavior is rather humorous. What do you think?