Cell phones suck, and I still wont get one. This article explains exactly how I feel.
Basically, to sum it up for those who were too lazy to click on the article link, but somehow were not too lazy to click on my “more” link, Cell Phones suck because:
- constant interruptions, and paying money to carry them with you
- health hazard, and anti-cell science actively being quelled by corporations
- privacy issues in an increasingly distrustful government
- public spaces are now filled with private conversations, and when you hear somebody speak, it’s probably not to another human being actually present
- stops people from properly planning; encourages “winging it”
- keeps you detached from your current reality
- social life as an auction; people leaving because they got a call
- closes out social circles by encouraging you to call the same people over & over
- worst … text input device … EVAR
- another conformist trend for trendenoids
Claire's blog 
September 26, 2006 at 2:49 PM
Ooooh, nice find! :)
I agree with almost all of the points in that article. I hate how plans aren’t concrete anymore (although I don’t think cell phones are solely to blame for this phenomenon), and the “social life as an auction” finally put into words what I’ve been thinking for years now.
The only reason I have a cell phone is my mom got me a pay-as-you-go phone a few years ago for Christmas, and even so I used it/recharged it so little that the minutes expired for 1/2 a year. I’ve recently started refilling it, but I still use it sparingly and have it on vibrate all the time.
I will admit that it’s useful in certain situations, but most of the time it’s just there to annoy and interrupt. Sometimes I think I’m one of the only considerate cell phone users in that, when I do have to use it in a public place, I’ll put my hand over my mouth when talking on it simply out of consideration for people around me.
And oh yeah, Clint, I have an account here now. :) One less headache for ya.
September 26, 2006 at 2:55 PM
Hehehe, sorry I didn’t credit you with sending the article… Lazy. I actually lost what I wrote .. twice .. grr.
And yea, “social life as an auction” was a new way to say an old concept. I really like that phrase and will try to remember it.
And yea — they are very useful in certain situations. And there is always one for me to use, in those situations. Even when I had a car accident, I flagged down a cellphone within 3 minutes.
RE: account
I still had to manually approve this one… but I think I have to do that 3 times before you are “blessed” and comments posted automatically.
September 26, 2006 at 3:08 PM
Suggestion: If you’re on a crappy Internet connection, you should copy/paste the bulk of the text to a spare Notepad file before clicking submit. That way if it doesn’t go through, no big deal, just c/p it back and try again.
September 26, 2006 at 3:11 PM
Well, yea, I know that. Doesn’t mean I DO that every time. I actually copy most textboxes to clipboard before I submit. Been burned too many times.
One correction tho — you need WordPad, not notepad, as *postings* have HTML in them :)
September 27, 2006 at 8:43 AM
I really liked this article. It brings up a lot of excellent points. I, however, dislike “regular” phones (i.e. land line ones at home) almost as much as cell phones, because it’s still always an unwelcome interupption when I’m at home. Even if it’s on vibrate, I still have to stop what I’m doing and check to see who it is before picking it up (because realistically, if it’s not someone who I feel like talking to, I never answer it). I guess I just don’t like phones in general. ;P
As for listening to people have one-sided loud conversations in public, yeah, that’s grated on my nerves…but it also grates on my nerves just as much when two people are involved in a loud conversation right next to me, without caring that people across the room can hear every obnoxious word they might be saying. I guess I just don’t like intrusiveness. Of course, in a public place, people can have conversations however they want; I think the reason cell-phone conversations are more annoying for people is that they only get to hear one side of it, hence it sounds disjointed and confusing. (in addition to being loud)
Mainly, tho, cell-phones in public are frustrating because oftentimes I’ll have to witness someone losing a connection…loudly. “I’m here at Starbucks with Jonny…WHAT?…I said, I’M HERE AT STARBUCKS!!…What?? Speak up!!…I said…oh damn…I’ll call you in a few!” Haha.
As for the “closes out social circle” things you mentioned, though…I can think of a LOT of things that do that, unrelated to cell phones or phones. Simply having a computer can do this as well, because people tend to email the same people over and over. :)
September 27, 2006 at 9:07 AM
Yea, I dislike normal phones too. Our landline has been broken for a few months — it only rings once. This has effectively made most unwanted calls go away. (In general, if one is calling my house — ring once, and stay on the line til we pick up. And call back 2 more times if that doesn’t work.) But yea, I hate real phones for the exact same reason.
Probably why I love email and blogs/rss so much. I do stuff WHEN I want to do it, and I can put it off as long as possible without losing anything.
–
But yea — the public loud conversations are really annoying. I called my mom and she answered the phone to say “can’t talk, in a movie theatre”. D’oh. Wonder how many people I unintentionally bugged. (Movie theatres suck anyway!)
–
As for the social circle thing — very true that lots of things do that. I guess there’s no preventing clique-ism. I try HARD to not partake in clique-ism myself.. But it’s tough.
September 27, 2006 at 9:24 AM
Well, I think it’s natural for anybody to have a desire to stick to the people they know well, rather than frequently seeking out strangers to befriend or talk to…I think it only becomes bad when someone “outside” the social group tries to be friendly and interact, and gets sort of shut out by the group.
And yeah, I’m totally addicted to email. Sometime friends have said to me “call me and we can catch up” and I never know what the hell to talk about…but if they email me, I can type for hours. Hehe.
September 27, 2006 at 2:50 PM
First of all, why was your mom’s cellphone on in the movie theater in the first place?
As the saying goes, cell phones don’t anooy people, people do. If everybody would just be polite about their cell phone use, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Personally, I think they should install a zapping device in all cell phones, that when used in inappropriate locations, give you a nast shock. That would take care of the problem.
Even worse pet peeve: SMS. Are we becoming so anti-social as a species, that a text message is preferrable to actually speaking to a person?
September 27, 2006 at 3:02 PM
That’s just it — to have every cellphone turned off in the theatre 100% of the time would require that 100% of people operate their cellphone “correctly” 100% of the time. That will never happen. Ergo, annoyance.
But anyway, they HAVE cellphone jammers. I think ~$300 on ebay. Illegal in america because you might block an emergency call — but used in Mexican churches a lot, I hear.
I am reminded of the “Trace Buster Buster” from that movie whose name I can’t remember..
September 27, 2006 at 3:03 PM
The Big Hit.
September 27, 2006 at 8:35 PM
trace buster buster! whoot. that movie is funny.
when people say hello on the cell phone really loud i say hello back, and i make eye contact. boy do they look stupid doing that.
fuck those people.
also any phone is a real annoyance. i agree and dislike the phone system. caller id should have been first!
October 1, 2006 at 8:32 AM
that was a great article, and I agree with just about every point. (esp. the part about text messaging)
October 1, 2006 at 10:00 AM
@Compn:
I definitely am going to have to try saying “Hello” back to somebody. That’s bound to be awkward! Thanks for the idea :)
Thanks for the other comments, people.
October 19, 2006 at 12:24 PM
…but you know what? IT’S GOOD TO MAKE FUCKING PHONE CALLS ON!
October 19, 2006 at 12:37 PM
So is a landline, but with the added bonus of:
1) no additional cost
2) can actually hear what people are saying
3) don’t have to nurture it like a baby… “feeding” it with new electrcity constnatly
4) don’t have to carry something around taking up pocket space
5) don’t have to be tracked by the government
6) don’t have to worry about tunnels, elevators, etc
etc
D.C. has 6 phones per person, on average. If I need to make a call, I will generally be able to. I’ve had my car break down, and towed back to my house within 2 hours — without a cell phone OR a wallet. :)
I would like a dead cell phone, however. One with no plan. Federal law requires that those can still call 911.
You see, the “good in emergencies” argument is moot — a dead cellphone MUST be able to call 911 by federal law.
So why pay for a plan?
Also, texting is teh suck!
December 19, 2006 at 12:40 PM
I concur with all your statements about Cells. In truth it’s even more difficult to meet people because some are even unwilling to call you if you don’t possess a mobile phone! What’s even worse is that people you pass may be talking on the phone to someone other than yourself, when you want to meet new people exactly how is this helping? It’s not!
I feel sick humans are this weak, they’re a pathetic species that deserves to be eliminated for using Cells, it’s sad… when’s the last time you met somebody knew?
December 19, 2006 at 1:57 PM
I wouldn’t go as far as saying we deserve to be eliminated as a species simply for using cells — they can be quite convenient.
The problem is that they are frequently more of an inconvenience, than a convenience.
I’ve been carrying my wife’s to work, lately, because I need the ability to make private calls.
Of course, I walk to the phone lounge and end up using those phones anyway, so I don’t NEED it, but it’s nice to USE.
I do agree, though, that you can’t even converse with strangers in public because the odds are they are conversing with someone on the phone, or texting (which is even more of an insult — I can understand being ignored for a human voice, but a lifeless keyboard?).
I meet new people all the time… But not while they are on the phone.
October 9, 2011 at 7:52 AM
I hate cell phones why is it some work, and others don’t. I swear cell phones suck. They are stupid, and most fights are caused by them. My bf is on his phone all the time. I get so mad at him, and he doesn’t need it for work. Cell phones are the devil. Your in church doing the right thing, and people’s cell phones go off yea it’s the devil pointing you in the wrong direction. You can’t take one hour to respect your higher power. What’s up with that?? I think cell phones should be banned. They are evil things, and they cause too much money, and they don’t work.
October 11, 2011 at 12:33 PM
Congratulations! You took it too far. It figures that the most moronic comment on this thread comes from someone religious. The Devil has something to do with cell phones? Ha ha ha.
January 5, 2010 at 8:13 PM
Cell phones are not the problem. They are great for emergencies. Many of your issues are people issues and the others are easily solved..
1. Get a pay as you go and leave it off… much like my Father does.
2. Please cite a source if you want to be taken seriously, and use bluetooth.
3. Can’t do much for you here.. but if you’re that scared, you probably don’t want a car either or a land line.. nutter
4. cars are great.. but not all people drive courteously.. same for phones.
5. this is stupid, my phone helps me plan so much more than without it. internet is now in my pocket for 1000’s of my contacts and bookmarks
6. you sound old, and scared of the future. people live in virtual worlds now, and this is ALSO a reality.
7. again, people problem.. not the phone.
8. stupid, if anything now you can more openly call more people more often from anywhere AND reach them instead of a machine if they weren’t home.
9. ???
10. yea that whole conformist argument makes you sound kooky. I bet in the 1700-1800’s people were doing the same with technologies like electricity.. WITCHCRAFT!!
Grow up, get an iPhone you hippy troll
January 6, 2010 at 8:59 AM
Argh. I typed a long response and accidentally closed the tab, so I’m going to be brief the 2nd time.
1) That doesn’t change my argument at all. It’s still paying to carry annoyance, even if you use a non-traditional payment message.
2) Go look it up on wikipedia. There are plenty of studies that point either way. Anyone cautious should err on the side of caution. They also said thalidomide and asbestos were safe, and people paid the ultimate price by listening to corporations. 30% of scientists surveyed have been bribed by financiers to change their results. Money == greed == lies.
3) Again, you fail to make a point. Nothing “nutter” about it.
A cellphone generates a record of your location that can be traced back for years, and that data doesn’t go anywhere.
A car does not.
Nor does a land line. All a land line tells the government is where I live — already a matter of public record.
Nice non-point.
4) A non-point. People are annoying no matter what device you give them. Give them cars, they road rage, drunk drive, and help kill 40,000 a year [annual car accident fatalities in USA]. Give them phones, and they will yammer in the toilet stall next to you, talk in restaurants so loud you can’t hold a conversation at your own table. You’ve made no anti-cellphone point, merely an anti-human point. Give them cellphones, they find a new way to be annoying.
5. B.S. If you actually need to use 1000 contacts in your pocket after you’ve gotten in your car, then you’ve failed to make a plan. Ironically, the people who miss my emails or invitations the most are iPhone users who didn’t bother to check their email. I also have people who don’t open my evites because they can’t load them on their phone. Of course if they used their computer, they’d be able to open it.
People treat their phones like it’s a substitute for a computer, but it’s a poor one.
That is changing, however. My wife’s got a pretty badass phone for free, and the GPS already saved us.
But in general:
Non cell-phone people will call ahead, get the address, find out where they are going, and go there.
Cell-phone people will get in their car without knowing where they are going, call you in the middle of your party to ask you something already on the invite, or fail to check their email because they never use their computer (because they have a phone) and are too lazy to check it on their phone. I’ve invited 2 people over and had neither show up – 1 didn’t bother to check his email. On his IPHONE. The other forgot it was his wife’s birthday. I use google calendar, I get reminders for all my birthdays. Funny how I can plan better than the people with cell phones.
6. Haha, I’m 35 and was online in the 1980s. I’m more futurist than most people, but that doesn’t mean blindly accepting the ways of the herd.
7. No, it’s a cellphone problem, not a people problem. Explain how that problem would happen if you took cellphones out of the equation again? It wouldn’t. Nice failed try, though.
8. That’s not how I’ve observed it use. People tend to text people they don’t know as well, whereas pre-cellphone they would either have to send a full email or make a full phone call.
9. English. Do you speak it?
10. Huh? Witchcraft? Do you have a point, or were you simply losing energy by the time you got to number 10? The same people were doing what? You didn’t even define what “that” is.
June 11, 2010 at 8:42 PM
americans sucks.
June 11, 2010 at 8:44 PM
But at least we know how to conjugate…
June 25, 2010 at 1:26 PM
Yes, cell phones definately suck, and land lines are nearly as bad becuase of auto dialers. Land lines would be much better if I get paid a dollar ever time I pick up the phone. If it was somebody I actually wanted to talk to, I would gladley dive the money back.
More reasons cell phones suck..
Ugly cell phone towers every where you look.
Pocket dialing is a pain for both the sending and receiving party.
The ring tones are too damn loud.
My pay as you go plan allows me to pay just once every 3 months, and I still have minutes I purchased 4 years ago.
June 25, 2010 at 1:29 PM
Do not call list. It works. The only unwanted calls I get are from our cats’ vet :)
November 23, 2011 at 11:55 AM
cell phones remind me of jail cell people look like they can’t go anywhere without them and they’re always stuck to they’re ear outside, in the store,do you want me to buy some coffee? don’t you know if you need coffee? make a list i hear people talking and it’s like are you talking to me ? no you have a stupid cell phone!!!!!!!!!!
June 24, 2019 at 7:39 PM
I will Never get one of those darn things–I had a phone call on my land line about six months ago and it was a wrong number it’s totalya bunch of “canned response” ‘ya godda have it ’cause every-one has it “done ‘cha know?