Yeah, cause "#selfishbratassholekid OOOHH! I LOVE THE HUNGER GAMES!!!!!!!!!" could not possibly wait until after the movie is over to share their opinions.

I used to rage against this (and will still ask patrons sitting in front of me to shut their phones off if they light up during a movie) but I realized what this phenomenon most closely compares to.

Walkmans in the 80s.

At some point, the idea of having a portable tape deck and shutting out the world via headphone was considered highly annoying, hugely antisocial, rude and disruptive. People used to constantly complain about the inconsiderate young people with their walkmans, hiding in their own little worlds, not caring about the people around them.

And now 3/4ths of the people you see out and about have some form of headphone plugged into their head.

Like Erik said - it's going to be inevitable that texting in the theater is going to become a thing. I don't have to like it, but that doesn't change that it's coming.

I feel kinda shitty for the writers/directors/actors who are likely only having 75% of their efforts go noticed, though.

Just like our non-asshole grandkids will be used to glimmering screens 50 years from now, I'm confident that the asshole grandkids of other people will by then be used to being set on fire by my grandchildren.

This is what makes me watch my movies at home.

This much is certain: this generation of grandkids, and all those that follow, will be assholes.

I have no problem with people texting during movies, if they just TURN THE FUCKING SCREEN BRIGHTNESS DOWN. In a dark room, there is no reason for your phone to be set on "sun". Turned all the way down you can see fine, and it's not nearly as disruptive or distracting.

lots of movies are shitty, or at least mediocre, but it's one of the few things that teenagers can do that is on their own initiative.

i went to a lot of terrible movies, perhaps only due to a dearth of ideas, while growing up in anchorage, and wouldn't have minded the internet in my pocket.