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Do you have a cell phone? I do; it’s very useful indeed and I wouldn’t be without it. I’m no Luddite, either, so I have a reasonably up to date Smart Phone and certainly don’t make the oft heard cry from oldies like me “but I only want it to make calls”; Internet on the go? Yes please!
But I’ve been heard much about the negative side of cell phones recently. or rather the negative side of the people that use them. Can it be true that something so innovate and useful can be brought into disrepute by ignorant users?
Sadly it is true.
I read today about some research done by a restaurant owner in New York City who, it’s claimed, studied a ten year old tape from a night’s business in his restaurant against a recent night’s business. He discovered, much to his horror, that increasing delays in serving his clientele were attributable to most of his customers using their phones before during and after their meals. Their distraction caused delays to the restaurant process and significantly increased turn around times and, interestingly, complaints from customers about tardy service. Oh the irony!
I went to a little dinner party a couple of months ago; five people enjoying good food and excellent conversation. Until, that is, one of the party received a text on his cell phone. His attention was lost and he buried himself in his LCD screen for a minute or so, without a word of apology to his host, and only returned to the company when he’d transacted his business. I thought that pretty rude. Then all the phones came out (except mine!) and people spent some considerable time proving that their external business was more important than the business in the room.
My step-son has a Smart Phone and it seems to be permanently in his hand. Worse than that, he cannot stop his eyes drifting to the screen every couple of seconds. Have a conversation with him and ten seconds in, his attention is elsewhere, and it’s the same for all kids of his age.
The same step-son was actually abused by a ‘girlfriend’ who heaped her bile upon him via SMS texts, and the boy appeared unable to counter it with the simple press of the ‘Off’ switch, so inured was he into the “constantly on line” culture.
The examples of bad behaviour by cell phones users are everywhere, and the world is a poorer place for it.
It’s easy to become dispirited by the people’s reliance, nay dependence, on these tools. The guy who picked up his texts at the dinner table claims that it “might have been important”, and perhaps it might have been, except who passes on really important messages via text? Anyway, what did he do before the advent of the cell phone? The answer, my friends, is that he’d have had a pleasant and uninterrupted meal as would we.
I’m fighting back, though.
For me, my cell phone is a tool that I control. At the dinner party it was resolutely switched off, as it is at all social functions; there’s nothing wrong with being “unavailable”. If I’m driving, calls and texts go unanswered and even if I’m not driving, if it’s not convenient to me them I’ll ignore the call or text until it is convenient. A ringing phone does not have to be answered. If you have my attention then it will not be distracted by the imposition of an external, unsolicited demand. In short I will not be rude.
It’s a shame that more people don’t remember that they are in control.
To round off, I shall recount a tale from the days when cell phones were quite new. I was on a train in England with my boss and a guy opposite was fiddling with his phone. I think he was expecting a call but he kept pressing the buttons, making calls that weren’t answered and getting more frustrated by the minute. My boss and I both felt that the display was as much for our benefit (Look at me, I have a cell phone!) as his. So, when the call finally came for him he positively beamed. He hit the answer key, started to speak and…
Silence.
We’d gone into a tunnel and he’d lost the signal.
We laughed out loud and enjoyed the man’s strangled look all the way to London.