Talk Nerdy To Me: Cell Phone Induced Attention Disorder or Just Bad Manners?
I have a confession to make: Though I'm an editor for PC World, harbor a ruinous obsession for shiny gadgets and am 29 years old (placing me on the cusp of the Gen X and Gen Y supposed technorati), I still really dislike cell phones. Well, more accurately, I'm dumbfounded at how human interaction has devolved as handset talk times surge.
I'm not talking about obvious concerns like overheard calls so dramatic you wonder if they're real, not knowing if that guy shouting to himself really is crazy or just has a Bluetooth headset or grammar and spelling being forgotten faster than Apple's 1995 cell phone/PDA/CD-ROM prototype (OMG LOLz). I simply lament that folks are increasingly physically unable to join groups of people for dinner, at a café or for a drink without their eyes glazing over whilst they get their messaging or social networking fix.
I'm no cell phone luddite (they're great in emergencies and I know first hand how wireless technology has made it harder to escape the desk and achieve life balance), but it grinds my gears when people consciously forgo listening skills to stand on the sidelines of the present and make arrangements for when and where they'll be next, only to do the same again when they're there.
We're an increasingly connected and well-informed society, but it almost seems like our stimulus junkie nature is fostering withered attention spans and (paradoxically) both reduced social skills along with a certain level of codependency. Is the cost too high?
We want to know what's on your mind, so vote in our poll and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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I use my cell phone at all times. Walking, running, swimming, flying, driving...I find it especially handy to use while driving my motorbike where the added thrill of riding one-handed makes for some fun times. My cell also takes precedence over any social occasion I happen to be attending too, and I try to answer it by the first ring. After all, you never know when more interesting company may be calling.
-- Niko Bellic
What's your number? I can start calling you when you are sleeping, too, if you like.
Mobile phones are a public menace.
I have seen loads of people driving while talking or texting. Look for the the driver slowly nodding at their lap at the traffic lights, trying to look discreet. Where are the cops fining them.
Visit a public library or use public transport these days and be amazed at the ignorant and discourteous usage of phones. I am just waiting for someone to pull out a gun and go postal soon.
Whats the first thing an idiot replies with, "Hi, I am on the ...... or in the .....". WOW we all know that idiot because we are there too!!
The most polite mobile phone nation is Japan. The other asian and western countries just dont get it.
Gosh, my cute little pink cell – I luv it! Use it all the time. Why, not able to run my mouth in a library, a book store, a hospital waiting room, or even in the pew of my church, would be sacrilegious!
So many businesses now have signs asking patrons to refrain from cell phone use while doing business. Why do we have to be so connected, when most of it is trivial? We are bored and have to be constantly entertained.
Social Behavior? it used to be rude to ignore the person you were dining with to talk to people at other tables... now, 2 people at the the same table are too busy talking on phones and disturbing other diners (everyone talks louder into a cell phone or headset) that they don't even talk to each other. I have watched people (couples included) that will go to a nice restraurant and NEVER say a word to each other from the time they walk in the door till the time they leave. RUDE, OBNOXIOUS, SELF CENTERED - I don't want to hear your phone conversations while I eat, shop or otherwise try to relax. YOU ARE NOT THAT MPORTANT - ANYONE CAN BE REPLACED-- including a spouse or significant other... Talk to the one your with, you might actually learn something
I remember a few years back a state delegate was at a gas station and a bill banning cell phone usage while driving was being voted on that week.
I told him I thought it should be banned unless you are using a hands-free device and another woman spoke up and disagreed with me in an obnoxious way. She claimed she drove better while talking on her phone than most people who aren't on a phone.
About a mile and a half up the road I saw the lady again. She rear-ended another car, bounced off that car and came close to hitting a group of people at the intersection waiting to cross the street.
Just more proof people don't drive as good as they think while on the phone and sadly the law didn't get passed that year...
I use my phone for phone calls; that is it. I have a bluetooth for when I am driving. But honestly my wife and I have a family plan with 550 shared anytime minutes and we very rarely use more than 350. We have no home phone only cell phones. That is all we need...
Can't understand why folks speak louder into something a quarter of an inch away from their mouths than they do with a person standing three feet away.
I've been working for the Department of Transportation for 15 months. I'm just trying to earn a buck and support my family. I really love this job but it has to be undoubtedly one of the most dangerous. All because of the beloved cellphone. We've lost thousands of great people around the nation. We are husbands, wives, fathers and mothers. We don't want to die like stray dogs, being hit and mangled by a two ton, 70 mile per hour vehicle just because someone can't pull to the side for a minute or have a hands free device installed.
You can talk your tongues off in the bars and restaurants for all I'm concerned. Just leave them alone while driving.
You would not believe the feeling of working just two feet away from cars flying by at 70+ mph and the only thing between you and them are rubber cones. I see it and live it every day and WHAT I see people doing behind the wheel at these speeds.
Who would want that on their conscience? Killing someone, just to make a call? I wouldn't.
Hello Waterman1963, I thank you for your comments! I'm not sure if anyone else agrees but your comment should be posted across the country. Anyone who has an ounce of compassion would take what you say into consideration before talking on the phone an driving. I will not say that I will try, because to me trying allows for excuses, but I "will" use my hands-free device, pull over, or just reframe from talking until I reach my destination. My husband hates talking on the phone while driving and has told me often that I should not do it. I've gotten better but this message really hit home! God Bless you for your honest and the work you do. If it were not for the work you do, we would not have streets to drive on, let alone risk your lives by being so carless. Thank you for the insight and may the Lord protect you daily!
Hello RenataS,
thank you very much for supporting me and my colleagues nationwide. I didn't want to stray from the original blog title because it is an issue to a lot of people. So I'll say this. Yes, talking on a cellphone while in a restaurant is rude. Personally, I step outside. But talking on a cellphone while driving is at the least, stupid. At the worst, it's deadly.
Last week, a TxDOT worker in Austin was hit and killed by a Federal Court judge.
Educate your children. People dont die from missing a phone call but they can die for making one. Not to mention texting. Most phones have caller ID anyway and you can always call back when you are parked and it is safe to do so. Everyone goes home at the end of the day. Not to a morgue or jail.
Answer this question honestly: Have you ever driven completely to a destination, while on the phone, and not remembering the drive itself? That's scary and yes, I've done it.