Cellular phone users, please dial 'celltiquette'
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.