You can check if the Instagram you just posted has any likes, or you can enjoy a cold pint of Blue Moon. But you can’t do both.
Such is the ultimatum posed by The Offline Glass, a beer glass with an iPhone-sized notch cut out of the bottom. If your iPhone is not wedged into the gap in the glass, the beer will spill. The product, created by Brazilian artist Mauricio Perussi, serves to discourage the use of smartphones in bars and restaurants.
Stephanie Comstock, general manager at The Swamp Restaurant, said she’s seen a dramatic increase in the use of smartphones in the 12 years she’s been working on and off at the restaurant. She said the escalation of smartphone use is a result of the growing desire to remain plugged in.
Comstock said if the product was manufactured in America, she would consider stocking The Offline Glass, primarily for use at dinnertime. She said that although the use of smartphones during late-night socializing at bars is forgivable, the growth of smartphone use during mealtimes is unacceptable.
“Food should be enjoyed and eaten — not hurried down or completely ignored,” Comstock said.
Heidi Steinour, a UF sociology instructor, said the limitless access to information made available by smartphones has become irresistible, especially among the younger population.
“I definitely think that it could have potential to at least bring conscious awareness to how often you go to your phone if you are not able to access it at all times,” Steinour, 27, said.
Mark Peicher, a 19-year-old UF biology freshman, said he would applaud bars and restaurants that stocked their shelves with The Offline Glass. He said he makes an effort to turn his iPhone on airplane mode when he is socializing in bars at night.
“The world has become so fascinated with what everyone is doing and getting constant updates,” Peicher said. “Honestly, it’s not worth it.”
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 4/3/2014 under the headline "New beer glass to help bar patrons ignore phones, interact"]
