Do you talk while looking at your computer screen?

United States
September 20, 2007 8:41am CST
Yesterday my spouse came into my computer room and was chatting away with me, when I realized that I'd been looking at the computer screen almost the entire time I was talking to him. How rude! Maybe it's something that I do out of habit. Or, maybe I'm just too addicted to working on my computer. Plus, I was really tired, so maybe that's why I didn't turn to face him while he was talking. It's not as though he complained about me continuing to type as I chatted with him. Occasionally, I would look over at him. But, after about five minutes of chatting and talking, I got very uncomfortable and stopped. Has that ever happened to you? Do you chat with someone in the room, while you are typing? Do they mind? Does it bother you?
4 people like this
29 responses
• India
31 Oct 09
hi beauty, well it is rude i shd admit...'m the one talking while doing something in my computer especially if i'm busy then somebody came to me..and questioning what i'm doing in my computer sometimes I ignored them.. I felt bad and I realized what I done when the person is out of my sight.. i do feel sorry many a times..
@bagumbayan (2705)
• Philippines
1 Oct 07
Theres nothing wrong at all. But next time be sure to talk with anyone want talking to you to face him up. But your husband can understand. But if most of the time you will be doing that he might got mad of you and dont talk to you ever. Just be kind to him.
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
22 Sep 07
Sadly, my husband and I will both work at the computer, and talk to each other at the same time, and never look up at each other. One of us will be at the desk top, and the other at the lap top. We e-mail stuff back and forth that we want to share. I do find it a little hard to swallow, doing this this way. I do not feel that it contributes anything to our relationship.
@beyonce03 (2331)
• Canada
30 Sep 07
When my boyfriend is talking to me, I always looked at him. I will pause the game I'M playing on my pc or stop writing on mylot (or something ask him to wait until I have finish to write my idea). But my mom, when I talk to her on the phone, will continue to cha at the same time so sometime she doesnt hear what I'm saying. I hate when she does that. She don,t it all the time.
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
30 Sep 07
I have found myself doing this- but I am reminded to stop- My daughter and my sig. other will be like MOM or honey—I’m over here- LOL… then again I don’t tend to be on the computer very often when they are inside or awake—I try to spend the time with them! But how funny that you caught yourself doing this-
@ggaaiill (196)
• Philippines
21 Sep 07
Yes I also do that, like when I am rushing on finishing something to meet deadlines. And you can expect that they understand the situation. However it will be a different story if you are just chatting from chatrooms and surfing the web.
@Shaun72 (15959)
• Palatka, Florida
21 Sep 07
I do it all the time. I guess they get use to the fact that I am online and I like being oneline so nothing gets said to much.
• Australia
21 Sep 07
No, although I do tend to think through my head clearly what I am type as there have been occasions where what I have type is completely different to what was suppose to be said.
@wonderful1 (2075)
• China
21 Sep 07
sometimes i will talk while looking at my computer screen. when the speed is too slow, then i will say'hurry up'or 'what are you doing, baby?' i guess someone seeing it, then he/she must be confused. haha. frankly, i spend too much time alone at home, so i really want to chat with others by month,not by hands online. but all my friends are very busy to earn money for their living. when they are free, then they have to spend time with their own partners. so i can chat only with my boyfriends at night. it is a boring life, but it is my choice.
@gr8life (6251)
• Malaysia
21 Sep 07
Hello beautyqueen26, I have the same experience with my mother over and over. There are only three of us at home - me, my son and my mother. I think she feels a little bit lonely and bored with the daily life. During day time, she lives alone at home and sometimes she will go to my neighbor's house just to have a chat with someone, if they are at home. Sometimes she will come into the room and trying to have a chat with me. Whenever I am busy in front of the computer and she comes in, she will sit beside me and starts to talk. I will respond to her but never look at her face to face. She never complains about it. I know it sounds a bit rude to talk to someone especially your parents or spouse in that way but I think my mother understands that... Honestly, I won't do that to my husband. He will definitely gets mad at me for thinking that doing something on the computer is more important than looking at him while he talks!
@joshboz (1209)
• Australia
21 Sep 07
yes somtetimes the things that i type is paired with my mouth dictating it. i dont know maybe its just an automatic reflex for me that whatever i type i tried to state it verbally while typing it.is it normal? idont know.
@bagumbayan (2705)
• Philippines
21 Sep 07
I think there was nothing wrong with that, most especially if both of you are in front of the computers. Me I dont mind also if the one talking to me is not looking at me, but if the one talking to me is not doing nothing, he/she must be looking at me. Its nice and its good habit to be looking at somebody's eyes when talking but if your are talking and doing something like chatting in the computer, you dont have to look at him. But once in a while you should look at someone whose talking to you.
• United States
21 Sep 07
Yes the same thing happens to me ! I do find myself talking to people and be looking at the computer at the same time typing thing out, or doing what ever I was doing, but still talk at the same time. It wouldn't bother me if someone did this to me, as long as I knew that they was listening to me, and answering me as well, as finishing their work.
@betta88 (37)
• Italy
21 Sep 07
i have a portable pc and it stays in my bedroom. when my family enter in my bedroom i continue to work to my pc. if they would talk with me and i don't raise the head they go out and returned when i have finished my work.
@sarah22 (3979)
• United States
21 Sep 07
hahah i try not to but sometimes i forget to stop and its especially if its something interesting and i want to finish reading it, i know its rude and i do apoliges
@carlaabt (3504)
• United States
21 Sep 07
I don't actually type when I am talking to someone else, or at least not very often. I do read emails and play games and things like that, though. I can do that while still talking to my husband or on the phone without any problems. My husband doesn't mind. I'm a little surprised about that, though. I get mad at him if he doesn't look at me when I talk to him, but he can't multi-task at all. If he could, it wouldn't bother me if he was looking somewhere else when talking to me.
@maybey (365)
• Philippines
20 Sep 07
I'm the one talking while doing something in my computer especially if i'm busy then somebody came to me..and questioning what i'm doing in my computer sometimes I ignored them.. I felt bad and I realized what I done when the person is out of my sight.. When I working in computer shop one of my customer need some assistant then I'm busy for my encoding some paper works I teached him while encoding...I'm not bothering about it..I think they understand what our doing in front of our computer.
• Singapore
21 Sep 07
Unfortunately for me, I do the same thing as well when I'm sitting in front of the computer. I can't face my dad when he is talking to me and I'm sitting in front of the computer. I always feel regretted and guilty for doing it but history always repeat itself.
@syaobai (33)
• Singapore
21 Sep 07
I did the same thing to my mum when she came in and nagged me to stop using the comp.. I'll only turn and look at her only when I'm less focused on it. But don't think she minds that. Guess I'm too addicted to my comp..
@dodge87 (75)
• Egypt
20 Sep 07
well , i think that it's a bit rude.. because if he did the same thing to you , you'll be really pissed off .. i had once a similar problem , i was watching tv while my mom was talking to me .. i took few seconds to answer her question.. and i made her really angry that day