Don’t be a Jerk. Practice Proper Cell Phone Etiquette

October 18th, 2007 • Related • Filed Under • by admin

Cell phones are most certainly one of the greatest inventions in the late 20th century. They give us access to our friends and family when we otherwise would not have been able to reach them. Cell phones are providing us a whole new level of access and communication that we’ve never had before. Unfortunately many people have abused this modern technological marvel and cause the rest of us to cringe when they pull out their phones. For the sake of the people around you, please be considerate and follow these suggestions for proper cell-phone etiquette.

Speak at a reasonable level. When you’re on the phone, don’t talk like the person is on the other side of a noisy room for you. If the person you’re calling can’t hear you well enough, they can turn up the volume on their phone.

Keep Conversation Appropriate in Public. When you’re out on the street, in a store, or in any other public place and there are people within 25 feet of you, make sure to keep your conversation as PG as possible. You can wait until your home to have a screaming match or tell your partner all of the things that you want to do to them.

Not in Restaurants or Movie Theaters. Don’t use your cell phone when you’re in a restaurant or a movie theater, it’s distracting and rude to other paying customers. Go out to the lobby or entrance way if you absolutely have to make a phone call.

Don’t Drive and Talk on the Phone. You are four times more likely to get injured in a car accident if you are talking on your cell phone while driving. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has also found that using a headset while driving in the car does not make you any safer. Avoid talking on the phone while driving as much as possible, it’s too much of a distraction.

Don’t Abuse Text Messaging. It’s not uncommon for some people to have cell-phone bills with hundreds of text messages on them per month. Unfortunately these people often don’t realize that not everyone enjoys text messaging as much as them. Before texting people, be courteous and ask if they have a texting plan. In places such as Europe, people have to pay upwards of 50 cents per text message! If you do text someone, there’s no reason to send them more than two or three messages per day unless they text you reciprocally.

Don’t Call Late at Night. Unless you know specifically that someone is going to be awake and happy to talk after 9:00 PM or before 8:00 AM, your call can wait until the daytime. If it’s not an absolute emergency, you have no reason to wake someone up from their slumber.

Cell phones are a great technological marvel, but far too many people use them in a manner that’s rude and inappropriate. Be sure to follow these cell-phone etiquette suggestions.