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Thought of this thread yesterday. I have a coworker who insists on talking to me on my break regardless of what I am doing. She's not belligerent, just clueless.
Yesterday when I walked up to the seating area she was deeply involved playing some mahjong game on her phone. I thought I'd get a moments peace, but no. She started yakking when I sat down, while still absentmindedly fiddling with the phone.
That's why chatty people don't recognize you holding your phone/tablet/reader as a sign that you are absorbed. Because they aren't necessarily.
A reader is concentrating on an activity when they are looking at a little screen. Therefore they think everyone else looking at a little screen is concentrating as well.
A chatterer is just passing time on that little screen. So they assume everyone else is doing the same.
All this talk of what should be obviously perceived signs... perception is in the eye of the perceiver.
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