Has the mobile phone caused Brits to become ignorant?
| 31st October 2017
Credit: Greenlight
Has the modern world been taken over by phones to a point of excluding ourselves from one another? Or is it ourselves to blame for lack of conversation?
The loud ringtones that disturb us from important conversations, pocket dialing and scrolling through the internet at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Britain has prided itself through the ages on good manners, but these bad phone habits are causing people to be touchy and get on the offense when they are ignored.
The Carphone Warehouse and OnePoll, have been looking into some studies to find out whether people are annoyed at the takeover of phones.
Let’s start with a little history. Back in the very early 1900’s phones had only just started to come around then, but this involved a telephone operator having to connect you to the person you wished to speak too. Unfortunately, this could take up to a whole 20 minutes! This would leave people feeling very impatient and even the slightest bit of rudeness to an operator would leave them to cut you off completely.
In the 1980’s the huge mobile phone was introduced. This was however, something only the rich Londoners could afford.
Now in the present, the mobile is the most wanted, needed gadget of all time. In 2011, people used mobiles more than landlines and 71% of adults own a smartphone. With easy access to call loved ones, keep updated with the news, and scrolling the internet, it’s understandable why people love mobiles.
However, having loud and highly personal phone conversations, is Britain’s biggest annoyance. Almost half admitted to finding this the most annoying.
41% of people get annoyed by people who walk, text and don’t look up.
A third of Brits are annoyed at friends who take social media pictures of meals and post to places, such as, Instagram.
A quarter get annoyed at people taking consistent selfies.
Twice as many women than men, admitted to being distracted by their mobiles during conversation.
1 in 10 smartphone users have taken a phone call while using the toilet – women are more likely to do this than men – even though it annoys 1 in 5 people.
Among women, the most common bad habit is not answering the phone at 25%!
Now time for some localised statistics! Despite all Brits hating conversations being interrupted, those in Manchester found it the least annoying in the whole country!
1 in 5 Mancunians hate when people don’t bother to say hello or good-bye on the phone.
A quarter of residents in the North West, hate when people text in mid conversation and when they miss a call, to then instantly call them back, for them to then not pick up.
It’s time for people to lower their mobiles and talk to one another about what the problem is. Do we blame mobiles or phone users?
If you wish to find out more go to http://lowdown.carphonewarehouse.com/phone-etiquette/