What is the world coming to... I just read an article today saying that theaters in the US are going to introduce "tweet seat" zones in auditoriums. There will be an area specially reserved for obsessive Twitter-ers who can't sit through a theater performance without having to tweet about it (so as not to disturb the other audience members with the frantic tapping on their illuminated smart phones). The seats will supposedly be out of view for regular viewers.

There is nothing worse than people playing with their cellphones during a show but surely this is just going to encourage people. I think they should make it compulsory for people to switch off their phones and fine anyone that gets caught with their phone on What's wrong with being disconnected for a while?

But it's not just about controlling the use of cellphones, the idea is also to create an interactive relationship between the audience and the actors and crew during the show in that the director could tweet about the production in real time and people could respond. Isn't the whole idea of going to see a show actually watching the show and focusing on it? Surely that can all be done afterwards?!

Of course it will come as no surprise that twitter fans are jumping on the idea. In fact, it's already a reality in some theaters. In 2009, the Lyric Opera in Kansas reserved 100 tweet seats for its final performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's "HMS Pinafore." And Twitter-friendly seats have been adopted by the Carolina Ballet in Raleigh, N.C., the Dayton Opera in Dayton, Ohio, and the historical Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn. Next stop, Broadway. Jennifer Tepper, the director of promotions for "Godspell" on Broadway, told USA Today that the production definitely intends to use them.

Personally, I don't really see the necessity in all of this but then I'm not a Twitter user. I positively hate it. Socialphy is a thousand times better

Thoughts? Comments?