Open Thread Update: Phone Fatigue

Cellphone frustrations were a hot topic for readers, especially concerning cellphone etiquette – or lack of it.

There were fewer comments than usual, but they were mostly longer, well-thought out….and annoyed with the assumed primacy of cellphones over any other type of communication.

Cellphone peeve #1: The Medical Profession

I”m not the only one annoyed that medical staff ignores patient requests and calls/leaves messages on cellphone numbers, even when we specify landlines. Reader Diana put it most thoroughly and specifically.

…”the medical profession is completely unsympathetic to life’s niceties. Deal with this now or lose the appointment or do without the medication!”

-Diana 

Cellphone Peeve #2: Cellphones over people

Several readers – Diana, Cee, Ellen and Pamela –  bemoaned the growing instinct to ignore the person in front of you in favor of the phone.

“If I am out with friends, it is because I want to see them and converse with them, not watch them while they text or look at pictures they have on their phones.”

-Cee

Cellphone Peeve #3: What it’s doing to us

While we can commiserate about cellphone issues (link to a previous article about them here), some readers pointed to bigger and more troubling issues…including phone addiction. Jonathan, Pamela, Cee and Diana sounded the alarms over what the obsession with cellphones is doing to friendships, society and our minds.

“…life is too important and exciting to have it constantly interrupted by bells, beeps and bull.”

-Pamela

We’ll keep this thread open for a while to give others a chance to weigh in.  Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments!

Virge Randall is Senior Planet’s Managing Editor. She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; her blog “Don’t Get Me Started” puts a quirky new spin on Old School New York City. Send your suggestions for Open Threads to her at editor@seniorplanet.org.

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