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Cel phones
Despite the fact that this is a technology forum, we don't often discuss the impact of technology on our social situations, so I thought I'd bring up one by starting with a confession.
I have a love-hate relationship with my cel phone.
I held out on getting a cel phone for a long time, but eventually caved under the social pressure. So many people have come to depend on their cel phones that it was difficult to keep up with social expectations. People have grown accustomed to changing plans on the spur of the moment -- so long as you can contact everyone involved at any given moment, there's hardly a problem. But so long as I had only a land line at my apartment, I would remain blissfully ignorant of the changing situation, arriving at a given rendezvous point only to find that no one else was there. So I broke down and brought one.
They are, of course, more convenient -- that's the whole point. But I can't help but feel that they've changed how we interact for the worse, as well. It's not at all rare to see people standing directly next to one another, one or both talking on their cel phone to someone else. Suddenly it's socially acceptable to ignore whomever you're actually with, so long as you have the excuse of talking to someone distant. I'm not ever sure that would be acceptable in your own home: I would certainly be offended if I visited someone and they spent any significant portion of time talking to someone else on the phone.
I could go on at length, but I'll restrain myself. The worst part about the whole thing is that, owning a cel phone now, I find myself slipping in the same regards that infuriate me about other cel phone owners. It's so damn hard being upright.
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Re: Cel phones
I don't have a cel phone in Mexico, don't need it. But while visiting my family in NJ, they ALL....every member of every family....have cel phones. Even the 11 year olds. So every time I went out (using their cars) they thrust a cel phone upon me, and then proceeded to call me a kajillion times while I was gone. I took to answering it with a snarling and abrubt "WHAT?"
Geez, I had a list of 16 phone numbers for 4 families. NJ has strict laws about driving while talking on hand-held cel phones, so there is a lot of clip on microphone conversations going on.
I am old enough to remember when we thought it wasn't absolutlely essential to have a telephone in your HOUSE. Now we are moving into thinking it is essential to have that AND cell phones for every family member. And essential to have internet in your home.
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Re: Cel phones
I couldn't do my job without a cell phone being near me at all times. Yes, it drives me nuts, but my income is directly tied to how quickly I respond to cell phone calls. I'm a Realtor. If I don't pick up my cell phone the moment a potential home buyer calls I stand a big chance of losing them as a client.
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Re: Cel phones
Chris, that's one of the ways that cel phone technology is changing the face of culture. In that particular case, I wouldn't say it's a predominantly qualitative change, but it probably has qualitative effects.
Prior to the integration of cel phone technology, the realtor industry probably still relied on availability and response time to avail itself of opportunity (I think of realty in terms of "Glengarry Glenross" probably more than I should). So what the cel phone really changes is the intensity of competition. A realtor with a landlocked phone is at a distinct disadvantage compared to a realtor who handles most of his business on a cel phone. If the cel phone has changed the business in a more fundamental way -- changing the mode of business rather than simply the intensity -- then it isn't obvious to me just looking at the face of the thing.
But there are likely social effects. Do you, for example, handle most of your business from an office? Are your lunchbreaks safe haven, or do you have to stay on alert? Conversely, do you have longer lunchbreaks than you would have had prior to cel phone integration? Do you find yourself conducting a significant portion of your business in front of people who are not associated with realty?
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Digressing from that a bit, one thing I was thinking of today was about the amount of noise contributed to public spaces by cel phones: cel phone rings, in particular. There is, of course, the general confusion that ensues when someone with a fairly generic ring gets a call in a crowded space. A half dozen people reach for their phones, thinking it might be theirs. That's a visual gag that's been showing up in movies since cel phones first seeped into pubic consumption. But even if you don't have a cel phone, it seems like you're assaulted with the noise of cel phone rings everywhere you go. I can think of occasions when several rings have gone off at once, resulting in a dissonant cacophany of tinny, annoying, canned noise. It's a little absurd.
I guess what I'm working towards here is a kind of cel phone etiquette, and one of the provisions that I'd like to add is the standardized use of the vibrate function in public spaces. No one else needs to know when I get a call, and I certainly don't need to know when others get one. So I've resolved to keep my phone on silent when out in public, and to turn the ringer back on only when I'm at home, and don't plan to keep my phone on me at all times.
There are complications, I suppose. Women, for example, often keep their phones in their purses, where they're likely to miss the vibration of a phone on silent; people of both sexes sometimes keep their cel phone in a bookbag or briefcase. I've got no easy solution for that. If they want to stick to the etiquette, it seems to me that they've either got to keep the phone on their person or resolve to miss a few call every now and again.
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Re: Cel phones
I really don't know how people survived before the invention of the mobile phone. They're god sends really.
For example, you go out for a night. Before the mobile phone, you had arrange everything in advance with your friends. You just couldn't be spontaneous. If you got seperated from your friends etc. after a club or whatever, then how did you find them? What about finding a taxi? Remembering people's phone numbers wasn't all that much fun and a coin box is a pain in the arse. You've got to have the right change.They generally smell. And most importantly, you could only ever contact somebody who was already at home.
Personally, I find that a mobile phone generally justs makes my social life a great deal easier. That said, It's pretty handy for banking, work and family emergencies.
I'm really looking forward to getting involved in the 3G movement when mobile video calls finally become a reality. It's all very exciting because with ipods, blackberrys (should that be berries?), mobile phones, laptops etc. on the market, it's only a matter of time before all of these devices are combined into a single handy device. Imagine a handy wireless device that stores your entire music and photo collections, gives you instant access to video news service, movies, games and television programing, allows you to contact your friends and family where ever they may be and stores your important work documents. Who would'nt want that device?
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Re: Cel phones
I'm not arguing against cel phones. I'm arguing for a more recognizable etiquette, and I'm trying to look at ways that new technology impacts the way we interact with one another. One of the things I've noticed is that, given the opportunity to interact with someone far away, we'll sometimes choose to do so rather than interact with someone who's sitting next to us.
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Re: Cel phones
Hehehe, I just noticed I told you to get rid of something you don't have.
I notice parallels in the changes that cell phone and cars bring about in people. A person walking will curse a driver, but put that person behind the wheel of a car and look out pedestrians. What is easy to complain about when we are watching is not always noticed when we are doing it ourselves. You, MadArchitect, have at least noticed your own actions. Isn't that half the battle?
Perhaps we are accidentally being trained to respond to machines before people. When one is at work, one will interrupt a conversation to answer the phone because the person standing there can see that it needs to be answered, but the person calling, perhaps a customer, cannot see what might be stopping anyone from answering the phone. All sorts of things throughout our daily lives add to this stimulus-response pattern, encouraging us to salivate at the sound of an electronic beep. Alarm clocks, doorbells, incoming email message sounds, telephones both cell and regular, microwave end beeps, dings from the car when a seat belt isn't fastened or the keys are left dangling, and a host of other things spur us into action. How could we not answer the cell phone when it's bell calls for us?
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Re: Cel phones
I was one of the last people in my family and group of friends to break down and get the cell phone. I just got it in the past year. It is a prepaid phone that I barely ever use. I got it right after my car broke down and I had to stand with a, "Call Police" sign! I do understand how cell phones can be convenient, but maybe they are too convenient. I also have a problem with cell phone use. First, I think that it is rude for friends/family to carry on a conversation with someone on the phone while I am in his/her company. Also, I sometimes feel that I am not important enough to friends/family to deserve their undivided attention when they call me from their cell. Usually calls I receive from someone on their cell are annoying. They are doing all kinds of things while talking to me! Talking to me is just a filler activity for them while they are shopping, waiting, driving, etcetera. I also do not like the idea of plans being able to be changed last minute! I like to make a plan and stick with it. I think that more people made more of an effort to stick to a plan and be on time before cell phones. Now they don't worry about changing plans or being late because they'll just call to let me know. Yes, I am a little anal! Edited by: tarav at: 9/16/05 5:27 pm
Not latency, or power shortage, nor bedtime shall keep me from my appointed screed
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Re: Cel phones
Hmmmm, I haven't really noticed it much but at risk of displaying my anti-socialness I must say I never use my cell phone. I have had one for years for emergencies, and more recently for free long distance. But in general I ignore it when it rings and don't use much. I always disliked the idea of how cell phones make you so accessible. I like to be unreachable, which probably pisses people off more than I thought about before.
This discussion did catch my attention though because I have noticed more and more lately people's inability to show up on time or stick to plans. I am seriously fed up with people, and I wonder if this whole cell phone culture is part of the problem. I hadn't really thought about it before.
I agree that I never understood why people couldn't put their phones on vibrate as well - it is more considerate. but as a woman I have to agree sometimes I have no choice but to put the dang thing in my purse - as women's clothing seems to be anti-pocket.
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Re: Cel phones
That's how I've always seen it abbreviated. I realize, of course, that it's abbreviating "cellular", which is a reference to "cells". But that's the convention that's arisen around it, presumably to differentiate it from other kinds of cell.
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