On the phone...

Every day I see people almost maniacal preoccupied with their mobile phone; watching the screen as they constantly press keys, buttons or shuffle on the screen.  

I do understand that a mobile phone is not just a phone… People tend to store their entire life on their phone: contacts with info like numbers, picture, address, date of birth, calendars with appointments and special occasions (even Christmas, Valentine’s Day, National Day and other rather obvious can’t-miss-out-on-noticing-they-are-coming-up days), pin codes and passwords. Not to mention down or uploaded music, games (I recommend wordfeud!), internet with social medias like facebook, twitter and msn (I am sure there are more, but those three should represent the nature of them all.)

There is something ridiculous about people shopping for groceries while talking to themselves, and not very discreetly either, mind you. They jabber about people, names and their private issues, paying no attention to fellow customers or shop assistants.

Walking about in their own private sphere, people do not realize people hear what they say in their end. I do not really consider it eavesdropping when they talk that loudly, either.

It is quite a while since I had a meal in a restaurant without hearing someone’s phone ringing. I miss that. I miss having a conversation and a meal without being abrupted, in the middle of a sentence, with the words: “Hang on, I just have to take this call”. And I end up sitting there, in my own awkward limbo, listening to my company being overly friendly to a friend or a coworker who just called to say hi, as I sit there feeling more and more neglected, left out and less important than the random person on the phone.

Sometimes I feel people talking on the phone or sending a text message are getting more attention and are taken more seriously, than the one there, in person. Maybe we think people would feel turned down if we do not instantly reply to the approach a call or a text message actually is, but to be honest: To talk to someone on the phone and then hear the toilet flush really is no compliment to me.

I am old enough to remember when people did not expect me to be accessible at all times.

Maybe that is the reason why I put my mobile phone away and leave it in the car or keep it out of reach and audibility in various ways. For some reason some find it appropriate to ask me why I did not answer their call at the time they called… I could be tending to private business, you know.

I am not as brave as a friend of mine, though, who has the following message on her phone service: “Hi, either I am not available right now, or I just do not want to talk right now. Leave a message and I might get back to you”.