DEAR MISS MANNERS: To keep track of my daily physical activity, I wear a fitness tracking device on my wrist. One of my social activities includes singing in a choir that meets once a week.
There is a young lady in my choir who comes up to me and taps my tracker to see what my activity has been. She is not a friend, just someone who is also a choir member. She has also suggested that we post our activity on social media so we can see what each other does.
Yikes! Nothing could be more unappealing to me!
By nature I am a very private person. I do not post my personal information on social media and find her interest in my daily activity quite disturbing. I do not want to seem hostile or hurt her feelings, so I've taken to removing my tracker when I go to choir practice.
Perhaps it is a generational thing (I'm in my 60s and she's probably in her early 30s), but in this age of no-boundaries social media, it seems that nothing is private anymore. This feels as intrusive as someone opening my purse to see what I have.
GENTLE READER: Indeed. Taking it off certainly solves the problem, but you could also say, "Oh, I just do it for myself. I don't really want to compare my activity to others and broadcast my achievements. I'm sure you understand."
It is not lost on Miss Manners that (a) most likely she will not understand, nor would anyone of her generation; and (b) the world would be a far more civilized place if they did.