Technology may have made a huge difference to our lives but not everything it has touched has turned into gold. One of the things tech-haters love to moan about is about how the advent of better technology, especially in the field of communications, has led to an erosion of basic manners and etiquette.

Obviously, the tech tribe considers these complaints to be the fevered moanings of an older generation whose time has passed and which does not want to come to terms with the ‘new techno age’ and its culture. As always, the truth is somewhere between these two extremes.

Yes, technology has allowed us to keep in touch with each other far more easily and efficiently, but there are times when its users seem to forget themselves (and indeed, all those around them) and end up indulging in behaviour that can only be called regrettable and which causes offence to all those around them.

Here’s a look at just seven of the deadly sins that gadget lovers are prone to committing:

Yeah, we know that technology these days allows you to remain connected to the rest of the world, irrespective of time and place. But we still cannot fathom why on earth people insist on using their gizmos in what are supposed to be important meetings.

Rare is the meeting where you won’t find everyone having parked their phones on the conference table, as it to indicate that their pockets are so stuffed that the phones have to be kept outside, to irritate and distract whenever they ring or vibrate.

And even worse are those souls who spend entire meetings hidden behind laptops, typing away in some sort of morse code, surfacing occasionally to let others know that they exist.

There cannot be a better way of letting people know that you love your gadget. Much more than you like then, in fact.