Saturday, February 18, 2006

Do we have Cell phone Etiquette?

Mobile phones have become a real necessity for everyone currently in this world. Every person is carrying one as the prices of the phones are falling and also second hand phone prices are at disposable price. That is not only the reason for the sudden boom, it is also the telecommunication market which has made people addictive with free calls and free SMSes. These offers are to make people addictive as once removed will still make people use the facility. Not bad marketing strategy by the companies.

Now coming to the topic of etiquette or in more general sense ethics for mobile phone usage. In the West, people know how to use the mobile phone at different places as they are provided with manuals regarding ethics and generally they use common sense. Still there are cases here and there which keep on poping up. In India, we all are facing these issues in everyday life.

When someone is talking on the phone, he/she is not aware of the level of volume they are talking at. They donot realise that due to their conversation on the phone people around them are involuntarily sujected to listen, which by the way may not interest them. The most common places is ofcourse the public places like buses, bus stops, markets, elevators, queues of any kind and many more. This is one of the major problems where people have to listen to all kinds of conversations being made on the phones.

Another problem is regarding the ringtones, as the mobile phones have advanced from general ringtones to polyphonic and currently songs ringtones, so has the problems with its presence in the wrong places. Either attending a lecture in a hall or a funneral and suddenly your cell phone rings, apart from disrupting the proceedings it is a really unkind to the people around.

These are the 2 major problems that people have to work on. Every phone has been provided with different profiles so we have to learn how to use it. We have made a habit that in the morning we donot forget to take our wallet and Mobile phone along with us, similarly we have to work on the idea that before any kind of event, we use the proper profiles in place, like silent or vibrator mode.

Another major issue is the proper use of the facilities provided with the mobile phone. We have all heard of the MMS scandals and others. When will humans use technology for a better use. Now companies are asking their employees to come with a Non camera phone so that confidentality is maintained. In call center's they are asked to either keep it switched off or leave it at home when they leave for work. Even the mobile companies have started to create more advance models of phones without camera so that the corporate world can take it.

I am not suggesting that cell phones are evil, I am just saying that they are providing us with better communication with second to second update, therefore proving its worth. But it is us humans who are behind the phone making all the mistakes. If an explicit clip is made by a cell phone, then I guess it was some human who had pressed the button with that intention. The cell phone had not done that on its own.

Intially we heard about accidents which use to occur due to reckless driving as the driver was drunk or really in a hurry or ofcourse lost concentration. Now most of the accidents occur as the driver is on the phone and he has to multi-task by attending the phone call and also drive through the road. Also there was a time when people use to keep their heads tilted trying to talk on the phone by making it handfree. But now people have started buying the accesories like earphone, wireless earphones, handfree set in the car and others. Some people have made solutions by stopping the car on the side of the road so that they can attend the call and then drive. This can be taken to be atleast a more safer way than driving to your death.

I could have added this topic with the previous one about the technology, but since people are using cell phones in an everyday use, this had to be taken separately. In India, when a cell phone is purchased in the market along with the manual and accesories like battery and cover, even a book on proper phone ethics should be given. People in general should learn courtesy and respect.

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