When Private Conversations Are Thrust Upon You
from the learning-about-your-neighbors dept
Having just taken a cross-country flight a few days ago, I definitely noticed the growing trend of "wheels down, cell phones up" described in this article decrying the fact that private conversations are now quite public. It seemed like almost everyone on the plane pulled out a phone as soon as we landed. Admittedly, I was no exception, but I only checked voicemail and email messages while waiting for the plane to clear out. I didn't make a phone call until I was safely in the terminal and could find a quiet corner to hide in, while checking to make sure my ride was on its way. So many people seem to forget when they're on the phone that others around them really don't care about the private aspects of the conversation they're having. The article notes that it's sort of the reverse problem of protecting your own privacy. Instead, you get the private lives of others thrust upon you by everyone around you chatting away on their mobile phones. It's really not that difficult to find a somewhat more private place to go if you really need to discuss something privately.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
No Subject Given
I think you go nuts because you hear only *half* of a private conversation. As a society, we need to get over this.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
SIDETONE
[wait, why is everyone on the plane looking at me?]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re no subject given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Fight back.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Not the same situation but funny.
They guy in the next stall had enough of it and kicked the stall door and screamed back to shut up. The guy next to me in the next urinal joined in harrasing the guy, in a 'mob moment' we all joined in yelling at the guy and banging the stall doors and walls loud enough so his caller could hear; "Hey does he know you're taking a dump while you're calling him?", "Hey dumba$$, some of us are actually trying to concentrate!". Suddenly, every stall flushed almost at once. The redfaced dude stumbled out and ran out of the restroom - kinda creepy that he didn't even wash his hands.
We were all pretty satisfied that we had evicted the nuisance and everyone smiled, chuckled and nodded as we left, satisfied that at least this bastion of 'non cell phoneism' was again preserved.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Not the same situation but funny.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Not the same situation but funny.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]