Mobile Mania: How to Have Manners and Etiquette While on a Mobile Phone
by Mobile phones – can be a convenience, or a headache for some, with their constant ringing and demands being made that you must answer, there should be some sort of phone manners or etiquette that establishes some courtesy and respect.
Mobile phones are now considered to be something of a necessity. Practically everyone has one, and those who do not (if there are many) are considered a little odd. Loosing my mobile phone made me realise how taken for granted they are. Whenever, I was asked for my number, I had to reply that I did not have a phone, to which the response was a shocked look and a confused question as to how I could be contacted then. In fact, there are many ways a person can be contacted without a phone and I am sure people were in touch with one another before mobile phones were invented, but now any creativity or even effort made to reach people appears to have gone and the attitude seems to be, “either I call you on your mobile, or chat on MSN, or we will never be able to chat at all” so no arrangements by mouth, no more letters, no more surprise home visits and now everything is mobile, mobile, mobile.
The problem with the mobile phone is that people can reach you wherever you are, which may be a good thing for some people. There are individuals who may like the feeling of being so sort after that their phone is constantly ringing and they are able to tell people what they are doing wherever they go. They answer in the street, on the bus, in the cinema, in the library and loudly tell the recipient – and everyone else what they want to hear (not everyone is loud mind you, some people are quiet and do not take calls in such places). Some of us however, like to have some privacy, to ‘switch off’ literally for some time and have some peace that means that we do not have to report our daily activities while walking around the street, tell everyone where we are, why we are there and when we will be back. When we did not have phones we had more freedom and more spare time, and less hassle. Now, workplaces can call us asking us where we are, how long we will be and would we mind to do such and such. So we cannot be late anymore, as people will phone to check up on where we are exactly, why and for how long. Therefore, the mobile can give on a headache, which is not caused by its merely heating up on your ear or its shrill little ring tone.
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