I hate the idea of being expected to be available all the time. Wasn’t there a time in human history when we didn’t have to worry about getting random and/or inconvenient calls every hour of the day?
Not that people call me all the time, but I hate having to have this conversation:
“Donnie, why didn’t you answer your cell phone?”
“Well. Maybe I was sleeping or busy or something when you called.”
Learn this:
The Liquid Egg Product Law of Cell Phones
Having a cell phone <> 24/7 availability
Having a cell phone <> 24/7 availability
i’m not a fan of the cell phone at all. especially when someone in nigeria calls me at 3:30 a.m. and i have to tell them, for the bazillionth time, its a wrong number. i also find it rude when you are with someone and they “ignore” you to take a call just cause the damn thing rang.
I’m guilty as charged, I get DT’s if I’m away from my cell. Then again, we don’t have a land line and it’s the only way my grandmother can reach me. But I am WITH someone, I would *never* ignore them to take a call.
What about the positives of the cell phone?
The other day my tire blew out at midnight 20 miles away from the city. I didn’t sit there cursing cell phone’s 24/7 effect…
Chessloser: I warned you that Nigerian prince who wanted to deposit money into your account would be trouble.
Anonymous: It seems to be redundant to have a land line with a cell phone. It’s a lot about etiquette.
Allen: The 24/7 availability is great when you’re making the call…
If you had kids, the 24/7 availability is nice to have. You’d love the fact that if they had some problem, like they weren’t able to catch the schoolbus and need you to pick them up. So, the 24/7 availability is great when you’re receiving the call too.
My problem’s not 24/7 availability per se, but it increases expectations others have from me. For emergency situations, it’s useful. And it’s not a problem for the people who know me well, as they understand I enjoy a lot of uninterrupted alone time and have a lot to do with not enough time.
It’s the people who think cell phone = automatic quick response that are a pain. It shouldn’t work like that unless there’s an understanding beforehand.
I keep a tracfone in the vehicle in case of emergency, but thats all it’s for.
Rich
Oh, but sometimes the automatic quick response is justified… like when a coworker can’t make it to work after a hurricane hits….. lol
I suppose that makes sense. You never know what kind of mother your coworkers have.
Hey! At least she cares!