Sidebarring is the new social media sin you've already committed

sidebarring
Sidebars are the “secret” conversations we all have on our phones. (Photo: Getty Images)

You know that moment you’re talking to a group of people and you sneakily grab your phone to message your buddy.

Well there’s now a name for that social media trend — it’s called a sidebar conversation. Sidebars are the secret — or really, not so secret — nonverbal chats we have on our phones while in meetings or at dinners or just in general when we’re with other people IRL.

And while they may be common, sidebars are actually pretty rude when you think about it. The impression they give is that the person engaging in the sidebar chat is not that interested in the current situation they’re in.

There is nothing worse than being out with a group of friends, for example, and noticing that one of them is laughing at something on their phone.

Or even worse, when two friends at the same table are messaging each other rather than being present with everyone else.

social media trend
Seventy-one percent of people are guilty of sidebarring. (Photo: Getty Images)

You’ve definitely experienced it and are probably guilty of doing it yourself. And you’re not alone.

Sidebarring is actually incredibly common, according to a new study from Facebook showing that 71 percent of respondents admitted they are guilty of it.

The biggest culprits are millennials, but a decent chunk of baby boomers also said they had sidebarred before.

rude social media trend
Millennials are the worst culprits, according to a new Facebook study. (Photo: Getty Images)

We reckon it’s time to introduce the phone pile at dinnertime again and keep your phones off office tables during meetings.

There is nothing better than being in the here and now.

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