Often someone wants to know if the book is good, if I like my laptop computer, etc., etc. The third inhibitor to conversation is ambient noise. Airplanes, by nature, are noisy environments which make hearing difficult at best. Suddenly, and without notice, the passenger in front fully reclines their seat. At this point, either your laptop display gets pinched between the tray table and the reclining seat resulting in permanent damage or, if you're lucky, you grab the laptop in time to prevent damage.
Every passenger has the right to recline their seat.
When I encounter this, I just put my stuff away and live with it. So, it's not our fellow passengers who need to change. Tray bangers manifest themselves in a couple of ways. First, there's the passenger who lets the tray table free-fall. The second type of tray banging activity occurs most frequently during the summer or long holiday weekends.