May 8, 2016

We First Met on Uber

I tried the Uber pool option and was amused at the enforced socialization one has to go through.  Please note, enforced.

If having a stranger on the same seat as you in a closed space like a car - a vehicle meant to be private - is not scary enough, not knowing who it is you're sharing the enclosed space would be even more scarier.

So, in my first such ride, I was forced to speak to the stranger, more to allay such fears and less in order to socialize. In about 10 rides I have pooled, I have seen my co-passengers immediately look at their phones or take a book out to immerse themselves in possibly to avoid conversations. It is quite easy to get on the phone and finish your calls, but, you'll not be able to talk so freely either.

It changes the way you introduce yourself: Remember, the co-passenger knows your name as it shows on the uber app. Your introduction would be akin to an elevator speech as you'll have less time talk about yourself. One would require to find common ground (or shared interests) quickly as these are the ones that will help reduce the fear of the unknown stranger next to you. Also, the in about 15 - 40 minutes that one would spend in the car, I found the time too short to comfortably ask the other person if I could add him/her on social media.

This would only mean that one should learn to make small talk that would enable one to connect to people faster. A case of the rapid change in technology requiring etiquette to evolve?

No, the co-passenger in a bus / train / aircraft is not the same as the co-passenger in a car. When you're in the former, you're entitled to be silent and not speak a word as it is intended to be a public transport and it would perhaps be scary if you're the only one in it whereas the car was intended to be personal transportation and that fundamental premise is challenged through the pooling option.

It could entirely be possible that I am old-school and need more time to socialize and it could perhaps be less awkward for, say, a younger millennial.

Which brings me to the topic of the post. It could well just be days when you hear a couple say 'we first met on uber'

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