Editorial:

Learning phone etiquette

Illustration by Josh Harding

It seems as if cell phones have become a new kind of security blanket.

Admit it, every time you’re walking by yourself or you get out of class, the first thing you do is whip out your cell phone and call the number that was dialed last, no matter who the person is.

With everything a cell phone can do nowadays; customized ring tones, take pictures and send text messages, we have forgotten what cell phones are really meant for and also, proper cell phone etiquette.

Just because you have a cell phone doesn’t mean you should employ it every chance you get.

But then again, it is your cell phone and you can do whatever you want with it and your time. But here’s something to remember while you’re on your phone: be considerate to the people around you who can hear your conversation.

Don’t be loud and don’t be vulgar. It’s just common courtesy. When people are walking to class, especially through the free speech area, people are practically shoulder-to-shoulder leaving no kind of privacy to speak of.

Have you ever been standing by someone who was talking so loudly you felt as if you were intruding for even standing within 100 feet of them? Don’t become that loud person.

When people are on the phone, they are immersed in their own world and have no concept of the people around them. This also leads to other impolite acts, such as not saying excuse me or thank you, in the event that you are pay- ing for something in the Bookstore or Student Union.

Class is another place that just seems to inspire bad cell phone etiquette. Why do people feel the need to be on the phone before class and interrupt their classmates as they are trying to go over notes or read the newspaper or anything else to prepare themselves for class?

And trying to hide it by wearing a hooded sweatshirt is not sly either. It just makes the fact you are on the phone even more annoying.

Turning off your cell phone or at least putting it on vibrate before class is the first step toward proper cell phone etiquette. But bolting for the door and answering it as soon as it starts to vibrate is no way to behave.

You wouldn’t leave a conversation as soon as your phone rings so, why would you leave class while your professor is lecturing?

Cell phones have become an everyday necessity. They’re crucial for staying connected to the people who are most important to you; everyone should have one.

But, everyone should also practice the art of having a phone while not being enslaved by it. Voice messages were invented so that you wouldn’t have to answer every time the phone rings. There is a time and place for everything and college-age students should be able to decipher where and when the time and place is for a phone call.

Cell phones seem to be more of a distraction than a useful device. It is up to the owner of the phone to decide how and when they use it.

Make sure it’s out of sight, out of hearing distance and out of mind of the people around you.

Learn how to use your cell phone respectfully.

Cell phone etiquette shouldn’t be any different than proper table manners. Having a cell phone seems to be a necessity new to this generation but being polite never goes out of style.

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