As a child, the same reminder was repeated tirelessly by my parents and teachers: “Remember your manners.”
The moment my impressionable mind began processing interactions, I, and those around me, were taught to address my peers and elders with the utmost respect. Always say please and thank you, hold the door open for the person behind you, and say “excuse me” when passing through a crowd. But these long-instilled acts have gone out of practice; the art of manners is being lost.
As I move through the gargantuan crowds blocking every hallway, I am body slammed by people. What’s shocking about these interactions is not the sudden elbow in my shoulder, but the fact that I can go through crowds of people and not hear a single “excuse me.” One of the key phrases we are taught in our childhood has slipped people’s minds amid the hordes.
The interactions I have with my peers often feel a little dry; there is an increasing pattern of people my age not having conversational skills.
In professional settings, 57 percent of Gen Z candidates do not make good eye contact, and 39 percent do not seem interested or engaged in conversation, according to a 2024 study titled “2025’s Workplace Trends” published by Glassdoor, a job search platform.
These trends are just as prevalent outside of the workforce. More often than not, when I ask “How are you,” I get a response, but not the question in return. Regardless of if you want to talk to me or not, hear about my day or if it is just a nicety, it used to be a common courtesy to ask how someone is.
Exchanging a short conversation used to be a baseline of having good manners, but our inability to share these basic, polite remarks only emphasizes our lack of poor manners.
Even though it controls a large part of our lives, we can only blame the phone so much for our lack of manners.
It goes without saying that being sucked into our phones affects us socially. Nearly 10 percent of Gen Z members said they have zero face-to-face interactions on a daily basis, according to a 2026 study titled “Analysis of US Census Data” by the Financial Times.
But even with algorithms and instant gratification controlling our days, we can’t let technological factors drive our social interactions. Just because we spend a lot of time looking at our phones, that does not mean we cannot talk to others face-to-face. There comes a point where we as a generation need to examine our behavior and take the necessary steps to change it. Being aware of how we speak is a large part of it.
My manners, of course, are not perfect. I’ve ignored a wave or just been unkind; I don’t always hold amazing conversations; I don’t always say please and thank you.
We’ve all made such mistakes, and we can all learn from them. Nobody is going to be perfect, and it is not expected that we are. Instead, the goal is that we all do our best to be genuine with the interactions we have.
A little kindness goes a long way.
As individuals, every one of us is able to fix this growing phenomenon. It starts with us, even if we feel as though we already exhibit the epitome of politeness or have good manners. Make it a habit to say “excuse me” when crossing someone’s path. Say please and thank you. Ask how others are doing.
So please, remember your manners. Thank you.
