NationStates Jolt Archive

I've noticed an interesting phenomena that has only really become visible since mobile phones became so prolific.

Has anyone else besides me noticed while out and about how many people have to answer their phone, no matter how inconvienent it is, what they are doing, where they are, who they are talking face to face with, everything is automatically dropped and comes to a total standstill the moment their mobile rings.

It is like the phone controls them, or they are just so attached to the thing that they can't help themselves, phone rings=phone must be answered. No letting it ring, no letting it go through to voicebank. It's like the master calls and the slave must comply. Telling some people they have to turn their mobiles off in some places, like hospitals, is fraught with problems too. They tend to act as if you have just told them to cut someones throat.

I refuse to let the phone control me, whether it is my mobile or landline. If it isn't convenient for me to answer, I don't. If the call is important, the person will ring back, if it isn't, they don't need to. I wonder if anyone here is a phone slave, and willing to admit it, or are you like me and manage to control the beast.

I control it by picking the wrong bank.... who then causes my checks to bounce after stealing my money. Therefore, I never have service.

I think I kinda fall in between.. I'm such a social desolate that I suffer too much if I don't answer to my friends (who call someone else as to what to do if they won't catch me) but then again sometimes I just hate running after a piece of plastic so much that I rather smoke/drink/eat/poo/stuff than answer.
So I hate answering if I'm doing something interesting, but occasionally answer nonetheless.

It depends on the situation. If I'm just hangin' out and it has a SoCal area code, it's probably work and I really need to answer it. If I'm currently working pretty much no answering the phone unless it's the people I'm working for.

For just about anything else if I'm talking to someone already I'll check the number and then turn the ringer off.

If I'm talking to someone, I put the phone on silent and wait for them to stop talking and excuse myself. Oddly, I get respect for doing that, even though I just see it as common courtesy.

Also, I think I'll use this opportunity to rail against people who put their phones on private number. If I don't want to talk to you what good is it in tricking me into talking to you? I'm only going to want to talk to you less after that.

No one calls me...:(

i only give people i like to talk to my number.. if some1 else calls me or i cant be bothered talking to them ill just let it ring. but u have a semi-interesting point. most people have lost the value of a face to face conversation. hence billions of online forums :p

its business - at work when the phone rings, you're expected to answer it.
so having a mobile phone is like taking that part of your work/office with you - it rings, you gotta answer it.
its not that people are tied to or controlled by their mobile phone, but rather they are controlled by their work, and with mobile phones they can't escape from it when outside the office - it follows them and never relents.


i'm sure that translates into the way some people respond to social calls, too. not me - i'm with the OP: i'll answer if i can, if not i've got voicemail (aren't people who refuse to leave voicemail messages the most retarded people about? :rolleyes: :mad: ), or they'll call back or whatever

i only give people i like to talk to my number.. if some1 else calls me or i cant be bothered talking to them ill just let it ring. but u have a semi-interesting point. most people have lost the value of a face to face conversation. hence billions of online forums :p

I sort of consider forums face to face too, in a way. I'f I'm MSNing with someone though and I get a visitor, or the dreaded phone rings, I will usually do the brb bit, and deal with it.

My post wasn't really about people who need to answer mobiles for work or family reasons. More those who mostly use them for social reasons.

If I'm talking to someone then I won't answer it unless I consider it an important call, in which case I'll ask the person I'm talking to if they'd mind if I answered it. I don't really like talking on the phone anyway, so if I have an excuse not to answer it, that's great. Though having said that I frequently don't answer the phone even if I'm bored and have nothing to do.

No one calls me...:(
No one ever calls me as well...:( Although the fact that I don't have a mobile phone might have something to do with it. :rolleyes:

i cant consider this talking face to face. i could say anything i like here with no consiquence. like im a woman, 30 years old, a lesbian, a communist, and jewish. none of it is true, but u just cant tell :P.

i have a motorolla phone, what a huge mistake that was! nokia is the best

I don't like talking on the phone much. In fact I haven't got one, mobile nor otherwise.
Hah, let's see telemarketers try to get a hold of me :p

:p Been told I'm wierd but I never answer the phone while I'm going poo

I hate phones. :mp5:
I can just about cope with texting but it takes me about 10 minutes to build up the courage to dial the number on a house phone...

It's because it's...

*ring*

Oh hang on.... Hello? Yes... No, I haven't done that yet because... right, well, once I've finished everything I'm currently doing I'll.... mmmhmmm... ok, but I'm right in the middle of revision now so.... STOP INTERRUPTING ME!!!!!

*beep*

Anyway, what was I saying? Ah yes, because it's usually urgent.

A lot of the time when my mobile goes off and I'm busy, I quickly hit the 'ignore call' button and call them back later.

I control it by picking the wrong bank.... who then causes my checks to bounce after stealing my money. Therefore, I never have service.
I'd love to see how you draw the connection...

When I go out, I usually put my phone on vibrate so that it's not ringing loudly and annoying people. If I feel it ringing, I'll usually just let it ring and let voicemail pick up, but if I'm not busy at the moment I'll answer it then. I wouldn't interrupt a conversation for a phone call, because that would be supremely rude. That's why voicemail is such a great invention. If anyone doesn't want to leave a message, it's obviously not worth my time.

If someone phones me, it's normally urgent. Everyone who has my number knows to either text me or email me if it isn't urgent, as I hate using the phone (phonecalls cause panic attacks). I've had 2 phonecalls in the past couple of months.

If someone phones me, it's normally urgent. Everyone who has my number knows to either text me or email me if it isn't urgent, as I hate using the phone (phonecalls cause panic attacks). I've had 2 phonecalls in the past couple of months.

gah! me too
if i have to make a phonecall, i generally have to write down what i need to say/find out and then follow my script. or yes, i freak out and can't think on my feet. no non-verbal cues, i think thats the problem my social skills fail

yep well i use my cell phone almost 13 hours a day so i guess im enslaved, but the good thing is that my older cell phone could recieve the call but give the distinct answer to the caller that my phone has been switched off, this allowed me to view who is calling me and depending on the severity of the call id ansewer or let the voice mail take the call. Obviously later on i d/c the voice mail so in actuall fact it was totaly upto me if and when i wanted to answer the phone


P.S.

The old Erricson phones have that ability to allow incoming calls but the feed back to the caller would be either of the two " The subscriber you have call has switched off the phone" or the subscriber you have call is unavable due to lack of signal":gundge: