My mobile phone is the biggest necessary evil in my life right now. As much as I don’t like to admit it, I am at its mercy. I need access to Google, email, social media, and several other work-related apps many times throughout the day.
I don’t work in an office or anywhere near a landline or personal computer. My phone (see, I don’t even think of it as mobile, it just IS my phone) is my lifeline to who will be home for dinner, whether or not my husband made it to his recent out-of-state destination, or the well-being of extended family members.
I am lost (literally, because of maps) without it! At the same time, I am often annoyed by my phone. I find I need to remind myself daily that endless scrolling is a waste of my time and that I don’t have to have my phone in hand all day long. I am also often annoyed by how those around me choose to use their phones. I’m not talking about daily use or screen time, but sometimes someone else’s phone is an actual disruption to what I have going on in public shared space.
When someone is more interested in their phone than what’s right it front of them, especially if I am what’s in front of them, is a terribly offensive. July is cell phone courtesy month, and I didn’t even know that was a thing. But now that I do, I feel like it should be a bigger thing. Because there are a lot of us who have no idea how to be courteous with a cell phone.
Basically, being courteous with your cell phone boils down to two rules:
- Be safe
- Be mindful
First and foremost, never put yourself or someone else in harm’s way with your phone. Don’t use your phone when you’re driving, crossing a parking lot, or crossing the street. You might think it’s okay to text and drive because your kids aren’t with you, but that doesn’t mean other people aren’t driving precious cargo all around you. Our need for immediate gratification is made worse by our cell phones but I assure you, that text or phone call can wait until you can safely reach your phone and have come to a complete stop.
Second, be mindful of what’s going on around you. Just because your phone is portable doesn’t mean your conversation needs to be. Your cell phone should not be more important than what’s happening right in front of you, and if it is, take your call outside. I understand the allure but I promise you important things happen when you take the time to make eye contact with those around you. My husband instituted a policy years ago that when we go out to dinner, we all put our cell phones in a stack on the table. The first one to reach for their phone pays the bill. It’s a nice reminder that we can indeed engage those around us and have real life conversations at every opportunity.
Along those lines, don’t talk on the phone while in the check out line. That’s rude, plain and simple! Don’t talk on your phone while you’re ordering at a restaurant. That’s rude, too! And while I’ve got your attention, sitting in the booth next to mine talking on your phone is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than the booth of friends on the other side. I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but our phone voices are just not the same. A group of friends having lunch is background noise. A phone call at my elbow is like nails on a chalkboard. Take your phone call outside and be mindful of those around you.
One more addendum, phones don’t belong in public bathrooms. Period. Don’t take your phone call into the bathroom with you, and if you must scroll or play games, make sure your stall door is closed. Folks, bathrooms are not clean places. Please wash your hands and keep your phones clean, too.
In the last few weeks I’ve sat in the next booth from a couple who took a phone call and put it on speaker, watched someone nearly run over while crossing the street against a light when texting, and cross the centerline of the highway reaching for a phone. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve overheard in a public bathroom, but enough that I’ve developed a phobia of touching other people’s phones. Our technology will continue to outpace any official etiquette rules for time eternal. But it doesn’t have to outpace our common sense.
What’s your favorite cell phone disaster story? I would love to add to my collection!
