The growth of cell phone use has led to an erosion of etiquette. Maybe 1 am sitting somewhere thinking or reading a book; maybe I am watching a good movie. Suddenly, someone's phone rings. Or, without my hearing it ring. I hear somebody talking loudly to someone else. It is a very strange feeling, like listening to a deranged person talking to himself. It also makes me extremely uncomfortable to be forced to overhear the intimate details of some stranger's personal business. In any case, my former mood of enjoyment and contentment has disappeared, replaced by feelings of unease and irritation.
What is the most impolite aspect of cell phone misuse in public places?
1. Not putting on vibrate mode or turning it off entirely
2. Speaking loudly
3. Talking for a long time
4. Not being inhibited about discussing one's personal matters
5. Not seeming to care about anyone else's right to privacy.
Sample answers
(A) The cell phone is a wonderful invention. It lets people in an emergency situation get help easily and immediately. If we are delayed, it lets us notify others of the problem so they will not be concerned about us. We don't have to worry about missing an important message while we are away from home. But, it certainly is abused! I can't stand listening to somebody yakking endlessly about nothing.
(B) I can understand that someone has received a phone call and is responding to it. But I hate it when that person is oblivious to others around him and talks as loudly as he can.
Speak your mind
1. Is there any difference in cell phone usage between young people and old ones?
2. What is the proper etiquette in using a cell phone in public?
3. Can you think of going a day without a cell phone?
4. The age of children having their own cell phones is constantly going down. Why?
5. What do you think about buying a cell phone for your own young kids?
6. What age do you think is appropriate for a person to have a cell phone of his own?
7. What are the bad side effects of camera phones?
8. How has the advent of the cell phone changed people's lives?
Speak your mind helpers
1. Is there any difference in cell phone usage between young people and old ones?
(A)
Most old people speak very loudly into their phones and repeat themselves often. I guess they don't realize how sensitive the new microphones are, so they think they have to strongly project their voice in order to be heard. I can overlook this because of their age, but I sure do find it annoying!
(B)
We, youngsters, have grown up with cell phones. They are, quite simply, part of our life experience. We just take it for granted that someone we're with will be engaged in a conversation with someone else, even while talking with us, and we don't see anything odd about it. It's nothing unusual, and it certainly isn't rude. We all do it!
2. What is the proper etiquette in using a cell phone in public?
(A)
We can't help being called, and we shouldn't be prohibited mom calling someone else. But we should be considerate of the people around us. As much as possible, we should speak quietly and briefly, and we should try to isolate ourselves from other people as much as possible.
(B)
Actually, I don't think we should ever use our phones someplace where we will bother others. We can text our messages to anyone with a cell phone, privately and cheaply, so there is no need to spend a lot of money to irritate someone else.
3. Can you think of going a day without a cell phone?
(A)
Well, I often forget mine completely and leave it at home. Maybe I don't get many calls, so I don't miss it. But if people have anything important to tell me, they just leave a message and I pet it when I pet home.
(B)
Go a day without my phone? I can't imagine going five minutes without it! How could I stay in contact with my friends if I didn't have my cell phone? It's not like we're always in the same room together all the time. We all have separate, busy lives, but we still need to be in touch with each other.
4. The age of children having their own cell phones is constantly going down. Why?
(A)
Young kids need to be in touch with their parents and friends, the same as adults do. The cost of cell phones is constantly getting smaller, so why should young people be deprived of this right?
(B)
The main reason is that our society is becoming increasingly silly. When we were poor, we knew better than to waste our time and resources on unnecessary things. But now, as a society, we have far more money than we need, and we spend most of it foolishly. As a result, we are spoiling our kids by giving them whatever they want, simply because they “want” it, or because “all their friends have it,” or because some pop singer sports one. These days, kids tell their parents what to do, instead of the other way around.
5. What do you think about buying a cell phone for your own young kids?
(A)
I don't see anything wrong with it. Sometimes I need to contact them, and sometimes they need to get in touch with me. Sometimes, these occasions are very important, although I'll admit that sometimes they are trivial. But we are social beings and we need to talk to our friends and family on a regular, constant basis. However, I would limit my kids' phone usage by allowing them only one phone card per month. That way, they will be encouraged to behave responsibly.
(B)
What do you mean by "young"? If a kid is old enough to behave in a mature way, I see nothing wrong with her having one of the great inventions of our time. Since we're going to buy our kids presents in any event, for their birthdays or whatever, then what's wrong with getting them something that they want to have but is also very useful besides? That's better than getting them something that will quickly lose its appropriateness.
6. What age do you think is appropriate for a person to have a cell phone of his own?
(A)
I think that as our kids become more independent and are away from our close supervision more and more, they should have a phone. That way we can keep tabs on them, but also they would know that they can always contact us if they need help.
(B)
I have no objection to anyone having a phone of his own, as long as he buys it himself and is responsible for paying all the bills. What I object to is giving young people an excuse to be irresponsible, running up a large expense for something, and then expecting their parents to foot the bill.
7. What are the bad side effects of camera phones?
(A)
There are no bad side effects. I just love sharing my life with my friends. We can now take each other's pictures anytime we want, no matter where we are. We will save some of these pictures for the rest of lives, to remember the fun times we used to have. But even for the ones we don't save, just the act of sharing the experience together was a very valuable thing.
(B)
The misuse of the camera phone is becoming more serious every day, in lots of ways. In addition to being caught in potentially embarrassing situations, we also find out that criminals are taking pictures of our credit cards or IDs and using them to gain access to our bank accounts or perform other illegal acts. We need to do something to protect ourselves!
8. How has the advent of the cell phone changed people's lives?
F: I just read an old science fiction story about a society in which all its members were in constant contact with one another. The process was not described, but it sure reminded me a lot of our own world and our reliance on cell phones.
M: How old is that story?
F: I don't know exactly, but maybe fifty or sixty years.
M: That's pretty amazing! We weren't even born then!
F: But there were some pretty disturbing aspects that I can't stop thinking about.
M: Such as?
F: Well, first there was absolutely no privacy. Everybody was talking or being talked to all the time. No one could do anything without the rest of the world knowing all about it. And if there was some sort of technological problem, or if someone was being punished by being denied access, the sense of isolation would drive him insane.
M: That could be a serious problem. Sometimes we need to be alone, just to think about our situation and what to do about it.
F: I know. But it was worse than that. The government always knew where the people were and what they were doing. As a result, they lived in an extremely oppressive police state.
M: Yes, I think it would be easy to plant a tracking device in a cell phone. That's a very scary thought!
F: And, as part of the process, the government was perpetually sending out its own propaganda through the phones. No one ever had any way to avoid it. So it was easy to brainwash and control the population.
M: Yikes! Maybe I should start thinking about leaving my phone at home from now on.
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