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It's easy to forget your mobile phone etiquette these days. But don't ever commit these blunders. Read on!
Smartphones with their affordability and bouquet of service offerings have almost become a necessity. Everyone has one, flaunts one, uses one. Yet, like any new trend that takes the world by storm, not many of us give much of a thought to the importance of Mobile Etiquettes. Even the most polite person in real life may overlook mobile manners. Here are set of guidelines that can help you be a little more sensitive to those around you.
1. Cinema halls
Whether the film is engrossing or not, a cinema hall is a closed space you are sharing with a bunch of strangers. It is an unwritten rule that your phone must be on silent during a film. Even if you are getting a call or a message, just checking it on your bright screen in a dark hall can be an irritant to those sitting around or behind you. Return your calls in the intermission or after the movie is over.
2. Restaurants and cafes
We all go out to eat in a restaurant to relax and get some time out. The last thing one needs is the guy on the next table shouting into his phone and making his private conversation a matter of public interest. If you have an urgent call to take, please step out of the restaurant and take it.
The advent of mobile phones has also made us very impolite to the very people we go out with. How many times have you found yourself sitting across the table from your date or your friends, tapping away on your phone? Facebook can wait and your mails definitely can. Use this occasion to talk to the people you're out with face to face rather than be interested in what the rest of the world is doing.
3. Public transport
Public transport like the metro or busses are by definition 'public'. Having said that, with the amount of time we spend travelling in big cities, it is asking too much to hold off our phone conversations. Use a headset so that you don't need to shout and keep your voice soft while conversing. If you are in a noisy vehicle like a bus, or the Mumbai local, perhaps it is best to stick to using sms.
4. House party
You are invited to a house party and never forget to take something for the host like a bottle of wine or some flowers. Impeccable manners. Yet, you think nothing of sitting in their living room tapping away updating your facebook status. Sounds familiar? Also, if you get a call that you must take, it is very annoying for the rest of the guests if you take it right there, forcing them to listen to you or talk loudly to block you out. Please excuse yourself, step into an empty room or balcony and take your call.
5. At home
Home is your own personal space, you argue. Why do I need to think about Mobile manners here? For the simple reason that it is a space that you share with your family and owe them your attention. We spend so much time with technology in our day that we have forgotten the art of 'switching off'. Do you sleep with your mobile phone under your pillow or on your bedside? Do you check your work mail if you hear a ping even if it is 11pm in the night?
There is extensive research going on that proves smartphones to be addictive. It is your own will power that can help you. Do this for yourself, for your own peace of mind. Leave your phone on the table when you reach home and go talk to your wife. Spend time telling your child a story before sleeping instead of checking your phone one last time. If there is an emergency call, you will hear it from the other room and can always go pick it up.
6. With strangers
This may seem like an obvious one but some people need it spelt out. It is NOT ok to click photos of people without their permission. The sudden advent of mobile phones with inbuilt cameras has transformed the common man into paparazzi. Even though it is rude to click photos of celebrities, it is harassment if you do it to just any stranger. Always ask someone (even if you know them) before you take their photo. Also, just because a friend allowed you to take a photo doesn't mean he or she allowed you to share it with others.
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