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Do you have a cell phone? Yeah I know, brilliant question.So tell, me are
you polite and courteous with its usage? Or are you one of those "I've got
to have it - can't live without my cell phone" kind of persons. If it rings
and you're at the gate talking with St. Peter, he's got to excuse you a
minute while you take your phone call. Come on, give it to me straight;
come clean with me now.
Once upon a time, cell phones were relegated to the rich and famous. It
really was a status symbol to have a mobile phone back in the day. But no
more; cell phone users now sweep the globe. According to the International
Telecommunication Union, a Geneva, Switzerland based regulatory agency,
"developing countries now account for about two-thirds of cell phones in
use." At the end of 2008, there were an estimated 4.1 billion cell phone
subscribers around this whole wide world. (Cell-Phone Use Spreads Among
World's Poor, AP / Frank Jordans;
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1882564,00.html).
This breaking news probably bursts a few bubbles because some folks are
still under the illusion that having a cell phone is big stuff. (Perhaps
that's why we observe so many people walking the streets talking on their
phones - or pretending to anyway - instead of watching where they're going
and being aware of their environment.) Everybody's carrying a cell phone
these days - even adolescents. It's just no big deal to haul one around
anymore. Cell phones do not work wonders for your personal or professional
image even if they are the top of the line technology
The real issue here is the condition of cell phonitis. It's characterized
as the disease that causes one to always check for phone calls, voice mail
and text messages and then get plumb sick when there are none. It's that
ailment that recommends you not associate with people who are not
tech-savvy. It's that issue that makes one wear his or her Bluetooth
earpiece as a status symbol to look important.
Cell phonitis - that's the psychological malady that causes one to send text
messages from the bathroom, the dinner table, the board room or the pulpit.
It has provoked total obliteration of budding, romantic relationships. Like
nicotine, it takes control and prompts its carriers to talk on the phone
anytime and anywhere. It will make you stop dead in the middle of a
conversation to answer your cell phone.
Persons with cell phonitis talk loud and hold conversations inappropriate
for a public hearing. There's a burning desire to be constantly in the know
and plugged into the electronic grapevine. There's a controlling need to be
connected, to be available for any and everyone that chooses to call. With
cell phonitis, people have become over users or cell phone addicts. They
become agitated when they have to turn their cell phones off. A person with
cell phonitis starts tripping big time when they forget and leave their
phone home on the charger and don't have time to run back and retrieve it.
It's a serious condition, ya'll. Have you got it?
If one of your goals in life is to be professional, politically correct or
just plain old polite, I recommend you take immediate steps to curtail your
cell phone dependency and follow these guidelines for cell phone courtesy.
You can find them with nice graphics at Dan Briody's Info World web site:
Ten Commandments of Cell Phone Etiquette,
http://www.infoworld.com/slideshow/2007/03/63-ten_commandment-7.html.
1. Thou shalt not dial while driving
2. Thou shalt not wear thy earpiece when thou art not on thy phone
3. Thou shalt not speak louder on thy cell phone than thou would on any
other phone
4. Thou shalt not grow too attached to thy cell phone
5. Thou shalt not slam thy cell phone down on a restaurant table just in
case it rings
6. Thou shalt not make the cell phone more important than the company thou
art keeping
7. Thou shalt not leave the cell phone ringing just to show off the "cool"
ringtones or refrain from answering for that same reason
8. Thou shalt turn off thy cell phone at funerals, weddings, yoga class, and
anywhere it would be unacceptable to bring a screaming child
9. Thou shalt not have a message intro lasting more than 15 seconds
10. Thou shalt never answer your phone while you're in the bathroom
Here are four of my favorite commandments that he expresses in detail. They
are quoted from this site:
http://www.infoworld.com/articles/op/xml/00/05/26/000526opwireless.html.
a) Thou shalt not subject defenseless others to cell phone conversations.
When people cannot escape the banality of your conversation, such as on the
bus, in a cab, on a grounded airplane, or at the dinner table, you should
spare them. People around you should have the option of not listening. If
they don't, you shouldn't be babbling.
b) Thou shalt not set thy ringer to play La Cucaracha every time thy phone
rings. Or Beethoven's Fifth, or the Bee Gees, or any other annoying melody.
c) Thou shalt turn thy cell phone off during public performances. I'm not
even sure this one needs to be said, but given the repeated violations of
this heretofore unwritten law, I felt compelled to include it.
d) Thou shalt not wear more than two wireless devices on thy belt. This
hasn't become a big problem yet. But with plenty of techno-jockeys sporting
pagers and phones, Batman-esque utility belts are sure to follow. Let's nip
this one in the bud.
It just doesn't get any clearer than that! As Dan says, this list is a
living organism and is ever-changing. Avoid cell phonitis by simply using
common sense and common courtesy - it is not rocket science.
Gloria |
Based on the definitions presented here, I believe I have some of the early symptoms of this disease. I actually just got my very first cell phone only about 8 months ago and, while I really like the convenience and safety factors, I have to take my stand against using one way too much, especially in the ways described here. I'll continue to steer clear of all cellular phone accessories so I'm never tempted to use my phone in times and places that aren't already convenient. I'm taking a stand!