This has to be a “worst tech company decision” contender for 2026. At certain movie theaters you’ll now be required to use your smartphone, yes, including during the movie.
We’ve been huge fans of Alamo Drafthouse for over a decade. We’re big movie people and one of us will go see a movie along in the evenings as a way to get a break, often once a week or more. One of the things I love about Alamo Drafthouse is their “no talking, no texting, no visible phones” policy. I know at Alamo, movies will be dark and silent from extra noise, as they should be. Plus, being able to order made-to-order food from a human being and connected twitch my waiter about movies is a wonderful feature.
This year, Alamo (now owned by Sony) is main gate decision to require a smartphone to order any food or drinks, as well as display your tickets. The theater chain known for kicking people out if they were on their phones, will now require the use of cell phones in order to get any concessions (there are no concession stands because everything is made to order).
And yes, this is enraging and probably a nail in the coffin for Alamo as a company. But this also speaks to the increasingly wide gap between the way companies use technology and the way people actually want to use technology.
Companies use technology as a way to decrease the need for staffing and increase profits; technology is maximized to maximize profits. But consumers see technology as something that should be used only to enhance their experience but should otherwise be minimized.
This gap reflects the difficulty of actually minimizing technology use in the real world; if I left my phone at home to go to my local Alamo (where I used to have a membership), I wouldn’t be able to show my ticket, wouldn’t be able to park my car because the parking garage requires online registration and a scanned QR code, and I wouldn’t be able to eat or drink anything. I wouldn’t even be able to see a menu.
I would LOVE to not need my phone to exist in society, but that isn’t my personal choice. Companies are forcing our hands in a way we cannot counteract by criticizing individuals for relying on smartphones (or getting them for kids). High schoolers, similarly, often are required to use a social media platform for club info, or access apps or web based portals for things like grades, school info, and more.
If our goal is a world that does treat smartphones as a pre-requisite, we have to recognize that individuals aren’t the appropriate place to channel our frustration. Companies and local government officials need to hear form us, while focusing on the barriers.
Don’t like your child on a Chromebook all day? Ask the school what would be needed to offer a paper alternative and try to fill that gap if you can.
Don't want to use your phone in a movie theater? Don’t go to theaters that prioritize profits over experience, and make it clear to them this is based on corporate decisions, not individual employees doing their best in an oppressive system.
