Cell Yell : Thanks for (Not) Sharing

An article in the New York Times called “Cell Yell: Thanks for (Not) Sharing”, Eric Taub talks about reasons why cell phones and their users, often intrude on the people around them. Taub mentions a young man across the aisle on the Baltimore-bound flight whipped out his cell phone and began a hurried and boisterous conversation. One gentleman pounded his foot to the rhythm of the conversation, oblivious to the 15 surrounding passengers glaring at this human loud speaker in seat 2b. Cell yell is when a cell phone user speaks in to their phones more loudly than necessary, unwittingly involving surrounding strangers in their personnel business. A phenomenon has given rise to a Web site (www.cellmanners.com) a subculture of cell-yell haters. Taub also, talks about how surrounding people don’t care to hear a conversation that a person is having on their cell phone, due to being personal. A social scientist at the University of Technology in Helsinki and author of a study on cell phone behavior, Dr. Timo Kopomaa says “Cell phones are so small that people don’t trust the technology to work”; that is why Motorola makes phones that flip open, according to a company executive “to give people the illusion that the phone is bigger and the microphone is closer to the mouth.”

I agree with Taub cell phone users are not considerate to people around them. Reasons being most people without realizing talk very loud on their phone; this creates unwanted attention from the people around them.  As Dr Kopomaa states that people have the illusion that, due to the size of a cell phone being small, people feel they need to speak loud while having a conversation.

Taub brings up a good point that most people don’t care to hear a personal phone call that someone is having. Many people might forget that there in public and get carried away in a conversation. They often don’t realize there are other people around them at that moment. While the people that sound them hear the details that are talked about in another’s conversation, feel that the manners of the cell phone user are inconsiderate.

Some good advice when you receive a phone call on your cell phone, take the time to look at your surroundings and try to be considerate to those around you. You never know who really might be listening.