Cellular phone users, please dial 'celltiquette'

By I. Christianto

JAKARTA (JP): Many people have enjoyed the miracle of the cellular phone. Most users of this wonderful gadget cannot even imagine living without them. They can call the office to say they are coming in late for a meeting and then quickly arrange a rendezvous on a street corner, for example

Thanks to wireless communications and information technology, today cellular phones are in most purses and pockets. It may be a wonderful thing, but it can also be a nuisance as few users comprehend "celltiquette" or etiquette in using this mobile phone.

Most of us may seen such a scenario: A customer service officer at a private bank waits patiently as the man sitting in front of her takes a call on his cute flip cellular phone. The message the man is sending to the officer is, "You must wait for me as you are only a customer service officer. A customer is king. And, you are not as important as the call."

Some calls are indeed important as when it is regarding a sick offspring, a fire or robbery at home, or an accident.

But most of us are often interrupted by unimportant calls.

A man can only grumble when he has to wait behind a girl who is oblivious of the long queue behind her at the box office in a cinema. She speaks as if she is ignorant of the impatience of the others waiting behind her, "The only available rows are so close to the screen, do you still want to watch the movie? (pause) That's right. (pause) Fifth from the front. (pause) Hey, what about the other movie? [grinning]. Hmm OK, bla bla bla..."

The cellular phone is actually a wonderful invention. People are accessible anywhere and at anytime. This communications tool has also become more and more affordable to most people. Proper etiquette on using the cellular phone, however, remains largely ignored.

How many times have you heard the cellular phone ringing or beeping (indicating an incoming message) during a ceremony in a house of God? And not to mention at cinemas, restaurants, meeting rooms and other public areas.

More people have become inseparable from their cellular phones. Telecommunications equipment giants have produced not only the charming wireless devices, but also accessories such as cases, belts and other tools to make sure the cellular phone is always "hooked" to the user, and to give the notion that the user is a busy and important person who needs to remain in close contact with his associates.

Useful

There are many people including journalists, brokers, investors and detectives who depend on this communications tool.

"The cellular phone is a useful tool for me as I can plan meeting my friends at the club after work. While stuck in a traffic jam, for instance, I can call a friend to invite him or her for a drink. It helps a lot.

"Most of the time my friends turn off their cellular phone when they are busy or they'll tell me that they can't talk at the moment," said Wulandari, an executive of a private company.

It is great that some people do turn off their cellular phone when they can't take calls. However, the majority have a master- slave relationship with their cellular phone in that they will instantly leap whenever the gadget rings.

"I think the value of the cellular phone is that it provides easy accessibility, anytime and anywhere, to anyone who owns it. Therefore it's also the owner's right to keep it on around-the- clock and take calls anywhere and anytime. That's the benefit of a cellular phone.

Another man said he loved his cellular phone because he traveled a lot across the country and abroad.

As he has a tight schedule, his cellular phone is always kept on so that his family, friends and associates can contact him at the same number no matter where he is.

"I always keep my cellular phone on, but the ringer is silent to avoid interruptions," he said.

He sometimes does not answer calls when he is in a meeting, but would return the call immediately afterward.

The rule

What a happy situation it will be if most cellular phone users understand the rules of using the device.

A columnist once wrote that a ringing cellular phone is an option, not a mandate. Users are being inconsiderate if they forget to turn off their cellular phone when in a meeting because even soft rings or detectable vibrations can ruin the focus of the meeting.

Yes, it appears the cellular phone is a blessing, and a curse if there is no courteousness in the usage.

To avoid being cursed by others, cellular phone users are expected to speak in a low voice and try to avoid long chats in public areas. Long and loud conversations on the cellular phone in public can be annoying.

Use the vibration mode or, if there is no facility for that, set the ringing volume to as low as possible to avoid disturbing others. Hold the cellular phone or put in a easily reachable place if you are expecting an important call. This will reduce the number of rings.

Turn off the cellular phone when at a meeting, lecture, concert, theater, movie, funeral or house of worship. If it is important to take the call, answer the phone only after leaving the place or room.

When a call must be made in a public area, always try to make it from a quiet location and tell the person on the other end of the line that as your surrounding is inappropriate, you'll talk more later.

Talking on a wireless phone during most types of social gatherings is rude to those you're with and to strangers around you. If you must take a call, discretely excuse yourself to hold the conversation elsewhere.

The text message or SMS will also be useful, but be careful with the beeping volume. Particularly in Indonesia, using cellular phone, even for checking the SMS, in public transportations will encourage others to think that the user is a sort of snobbish exhibitionist.

Users must remember that the cellular phone is a private tool, so they have to protect the privacy of their conversation and talk in a low tone and such that others do not have to hear the ringing of the cellular phone for too long.