Cell phone: Do you think it spoiled the privacy of us?

It can get very annoying when people talk really loudly on their mobiles in public places and I am never really interested in the private lives of people that I don't know. I remember one time I was on the train and this girl that got on made a phone call and she started talking to someone about an argument that she'd had. I was cringing because of how loudly she was talking and what she was saying.

Hi Sreekala, I know how it feels, it has happened to me, a lady walking on the sidewalk behind me, starting to talk. I thought she talked to me, actually turned around, but as in your case, she was using a small cellphone with earplugs. I think on the whole that cellphones, and through them other people, have taken over our lifes. Not mine, mind you, I use my cellphone very selectively, when I leave my house I usually don't even take it with me. But I've heard people in restrooms of restaurants (in restrooms!) having a conversation with who knows who. Absolutely ridiculous. I don't WANT to be availabe at every moment of my waking life.

I can recall countless incidents of being able to hear the amount of debt a person has,the name of the girl the unfaithful husband meets,and the meeting place too,the threats ,the beggings for mercy and all the other things which were so personal and discreet before these people start shouting mindlessly on this little device on public places. I always wonder what makes these people think that everyone around them vanish or become deaf as they begin to holler on their cell phones.

Hi Sree, I did come across such annoying situation once before. It’s really embarrassing as well when knowing that the person was talking on his phone at the moment I was about to answer him Since after the undesirable incident, I always make sure that whether a person somewhere around me is talking on the phone before making any response. Yeah, this is the best way to avoid having the uneasy feeling in public area. We went to a cinema in the Christmas Eve last year during our vacation in my son’s place. My son asked both my husband and I either to switch off the cell phone or set it to silence or vibrative mode before the light out. He added people around would glare at us if the device made any calling tone in the cinema. It’s the same as well if talking on the phone while watching movie. The unwelcome noise will disturb the watching of theatergoing definitely I really envy the people there, having such high civil consciousness. Unlike may audiences in place. They are still never aware of if talking on the phone loudly would disturb or distract others attention. It’s a selfish act to talk aloud in cinema as well as in other public places, for this surely will disturb others’ privacy and peace for sure. Hoping that we are always aware of ourselves not to speak aloud on the phone so that we won't disturb the people around. Take care and happy posting

Yes i think it spoils the privacy of us, but there is one advantage with the cellphone we can go and talk in any free room that we want or we can go and talk in a quiet place.Once i was in the bus and a girl was loudly giving her mobile number to someone else.If there are bad boys in the bus they will take advantage of the number and disturb her.But thanks to cell tracking bad people will be caught easily.

We don't need to be annoy in that particular case, my friend. Because we don't know if he/she really called up by someone. We cannot avoid that sometimes there is someone called us, when we are in a bus, a public place or in a mall. So I don't see anything annoyed in that part. Have a nice day!

Oh Yes, yes yes!! I am just fade up with this gadget just because people do not maintain the etiquette. I think, there is a minimum decorum which we need to follow. The fact that I cannot make others considerate and civic annoys me greatly. More so, when people lie outright by telling the person on the other side that he is in down south when he is north! How more gross it can get! I know, I am little critical here but sometimes I feel jittery. I myself, talk very little on phone now when in public place. Sreekala, there is more to come. A time would come when we would be traced of your where abouts by private companies for their benefits as in surveys, consensus. We would sell our privacy even without knowing!!

I really have not experienced a privacy issue with a cell phone. I mainly usae mine for sending text messages to my husband and my daughter when they are away from home. I hardly ever use it to talk with.

Hi Sree, I completely agree with you that it looks awkward to hear private talk of others on their cell phones. People mindlessly talk about their very private matters at public places and that too at high volume. They forget that they are standing/sitting on a public place and others are getting disturbed. Sometimes, when I am traveling in Metro train, I get to hear conversation about big business dealings and sometimes it is two lovers who are talking to each other on cell phone. If I happen to attend any private call at a public place, I restrict my conversation to the barest minimum and tell the other fellow that when I would reach my home/office, I would revert to him/her. We should be careful while talking on cell phone in public. Very Good Post!

I have a friend that keeps his phone with him at all times because of work. It gets annoying because if we are having lunch somewhere, he answers his phone and it's not bad enough that I'm sitting there while he's on the phone, but he thinks he needs to SHOUT while he's on it and everyone in a restaurant can hear him. I let him know that he should leave it in the truck when he goes somewhere and let the voicemail get it, but he says he needs to take the call. I've suggested he take his phone out side if he must answer it but he doesn't. I'm sure if it's annoying for me, it's annoying for everyone else around him/us.

Cell phones are not taking away our privacy, we are giving our privacy away. So much of the population is now addicted to being available every minute of the day to everyone that we are losing our perspective. I don't appreciate hearing someone's private conversation. I do not talk on my cell phone in public, it's none of anyone's business what I say and I have no right to intrude on their space with my private conversations. We have lost all sense of self-respect in regards to our private, personal business. We have also lost a sense of respect for other people.

once when I was commuting through a public bus a lady sitting beside me started to speak so loudly in her cell phone that I had to remind her talk a lower volume..Gosh she gave me bad looks then and started mumbling "this generation children what do they think themselves to be"..omg all I did was to ask her politely to keep the volume down! People often don't remember or just doesn't bother about keeping their cell phones silenced when we are in a workshop and then suddenly there is a odd hindi cinema song's ringtone in between a speech of power systems..Its disgusts me like hell.Technology is for everybody but I think their should be some code of conduct introduced with every new technology introduced..

In my opinion, no, not necessarily. People can easily have private discussions on their phone - in situations where they are alone. A lot of people choose to make their phone calls all of the worlds' business, unforutnately, though. For example - I have about 5 customers a night at work (I work as a cashier at a dry cleaners) that come in blabbing on their phone..about seemingly personal stuff! Sometimes I wonder why they didn't finish their conversation in the car or at least put the person they're talking to on hold until others aren't out of earshot. But whatever. I think it depends on the person. I know that when I'm talking about something more personal on my cell, I tend to talk more quietly and I try to keep it.. so that only I can hear what I'm saying; and so that everyone around me doesn't know my business. Maybe this is crazy of me, though!

cell phone has both merit and demerit functionality. when we are in business, its too much advantage. but when we are in home of personnel work. its making disturbane at un time. when we enjoy in home, wrong call may betray the enjoyement in home. so it has both advantage and disadvantage.

I remember the first time when I saw someone talking on the phone using the ear phone. I did not even know at that time what ear phones were because they had just come in the market. It was around midnight that I was walking home with my little kids and there was hardly anyone on the road and there was no transport available. There was this man walking alone in front of us and seemed to be talking loudly to himself. I was a bit scared because I thought he was drunk and was reluctant to walk fast and go ahead of him. But then since he was too slow I picked up the courage and with the kids went ahead. It was only then we saw that he had a mobile in hand with some wires going into his ears!!!!!!

Ha!ha!ha! You really made me laugh because it reminded me of something. I was walking along the parl together with my hubby then suddenly we saw a fine looking lady talking alone. My hubby and I looked at each other and we thought the fine looking woman was crazy and could not believe that such a fine looking lady could be insane! Of course just like in your story the woman was using earphone. It was really not good to look at her talking alone. Even if she is talking with someone on the phone, still I think she still looked crazy. Imagine talking and talking as if she lost her head already. And you are right, it is so disturbing to sit with people who don't know how to use cellphone properly. They will talk at the top of their voice without minding whether they are disturbing their seatmate. You know whenever I encounter such kind of seatmate, I always make him or her feel that I am disturbed and that he or she should soften her voice.

I came to the realisation that privacy has gone out of the window the other day when my cell phone rang while I was in the toilet! It is unnerving when you hear someone talking and you are not quite sure if it is to you or the phone. My sister in law was shopping at the grocery store when this guy came up behind her and said, “What about dinner tonight?’ To this my sister in law retorted. “No way, I don’t even know you, why should I have dinner with you?” There was silence so she turned around to see that the guy had been on the phone the whole time and was not talking to her at all!

Hi Sreekala, All cell phones are evil It seems when one is on a cell phone their voice goes in to shout mode. I hate when I have to travel on a bus or whatever and have some loud mouth talk about stuff I shouldn't have to listen to. I know some people that are slaves to their phone and I am of the opinion that mobile phones do really impede some peoples lives. The way I see it a phone is there for my convenience and not for others to disturb me every 5 minutes. But in saying that they are agreat invention indeed

Hi Sreekala, I find it annoying to have the mobile phone rings at the wrong time. Sometimes people expect you to pick up the mobile phone, regardless of where you are. I hate it when it starts to ring non-stop when I'm having a shower. I hate it when it starts to ring when I'm about to board the bus, and cannot pick up the call. I dont bother with others chatting on their mobile phones in a bus or train. I just continue to read my book. After all, so many people use mobile in the bus.

Not most of the times happening to me, but my friend felt even worse when she was in the toilet and felt so emberassed. she was in the toilet and suddenly there was someone started a conversation with her. she said, "Hi, how are you doing today?" My friend feel so ackward that a stranger would start a conversation with her but unwantedly, she replied back, "Hi, I am doing just fine". Then the other person next door to her said "I miss you very much, could you come over later?" then my friend replied, "Errmmm, I am sorry, I already had a boyfriend, I don,t think I would like to come over". Then the other person said "Please hold on a second, there are some stupid people replying to my talk with you dear." Then only my friend realised it was a phone call that the person is talking to. She was so emberrassed