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Comment by Dig1t | Hacker News Reader

If you all agree to not have phones, then the group social dynamic changes. You can't lean on your phone as a crutch when there's a lull in the conversation, you can't look up facts on the internet. So you're forced to think a little harder about things, to discuss a little more, be less distracted. It's fun for group outings.

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What group social dynamic? This is a restaurant or bar as a whole, not a personal friend group. If you prefer a certain dynamic then talk it over with the people you spend time with. Maybe they'll agree, maybe they won't, but either way that's entirely separate from the policy of a dining establishment.

An example: I went to a phone-free drink lounge with a group of people. Before the event I texted the group saying "this place takes your phone at the door" and everyone said they were cool with that and that it sounded fun.

We all knew going in that this is what we were signing up for.

It's like going to a club with a specific dress code. You go there for the atmosphere and the unique experience. And yeah everyone agreeing to not have a phone in their pocket does change how people in a group interact with each other.

It's easier (or at least different) to say to your friends "let's go to a phone free bar" than it its to say "let's go to a bar, phone-free".

In the first case, a third party came up with the idea, and you are subjecting yourselves to their idea. In the second case, it's your idea, and your friends are subjecting themselves to your idea. Really if you are proposing, there's always a bit of "your idea" there, but the "blame" can be shared with someone else who's not in the group.

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