Wednesday, September 27, 2006

More Cell Phone Thoughts


A little addition to the cellphone-in-the-stall question. Writer Momus at Wired News has some thoughts on cellphone/Hell phone usage.

Hell phones encourage a privatization of public space. Whereas once the voices in public places were always directed to other people who were present, a great back-turning seems to have taken place. A voice on a bus is now as likely to be speaking to someone invisible and absent as someone else sitting on the bus.

I hate the conversation Psych-out. This happens when you and a stranger are alone, situated within confortable conversation proximity, like in an elevator, and the stranger starts talking, and you respond. Then you discover your counterpart is not only on a hidden, teeny-tiny cellphone, but is also giving you the evil eye.

How is it that these clods are offended, when they are the ones stealing the public space? Back when only homeless people carried on self-conversations, they were a lot nicer about it.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home