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Teenagers no longer answer the phone: Is it a lack of manners or a new trend?

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Re: Teenagers no longer answer the phone: Is it a lack of manners or a new trend?

#51

Post by Tcepsa »

bnrdr wrote: post #41
MrDresden wrote: post #33

I'm in my late 30's and if it was possible I would block all incoming calls, except those from a whitelist. Never seen it prescribed to manners if someone picks up a phone or not. Is that a US thing?

FYI you can “silence unknown callers” on the iPhone, just search under settings. Then your whitelist is people you have in your contacts. Maybe Android has a similar setting too, I don’t know though.

Android phones (at least some of them) have "Do Not Disturb" mode which blocks calls from numbers not in your Favorites (i.e. starred contacts)

Re: Teenagers no longer answer the phone: Is it a lack of manners or a new trend?

#53

Post by PyWoody »

unnamed76ri wrote: post #5

I’m middle aged and communicate almost exclusively via text for non-work stuff. But I’m often reminded about how easy it is for things to be misconstrued over text. Just the other day I sent what I meant to be an encouraging text to someone. Turns out I sent her into a spiral of self doubt by accident. It took a long phone call the following day to get us back on the same page.

This reminds me of my favorite Key and Peele sketch: https://youtube.com/watch?v=naleynXS7yo.

Re: Teenagers no longer answer the phone: Is it a lack of manners or a new trend?

#55

Post by pabs3 »

Phone calls are really problematic for people with memory problems too, since there is usually no recording or summary of the call. Perhaps when offline speech-to-text models get good enough that will change. Some phones already have transcription/summarisation for voicemails, so it isn't a big step to enabling it for all calls.

Re: Teenagers no longer answer the phone: Is it a lack of manners or a new trend?

#56

Post by stubish »

Telaneo wrote: post #3

This doesn't apply to just teenagers. Anyone younger than 30 has probably noticed this trend by now. The only people I answer the phone to are people I know who prefer that mode of communication. That list mostly consists of people older than me, with a few exceptions. For everyone else, whatever textual mode of communication is my preferred way to talk, since then I have a record to go back to, time to think to resp…

The article says more about the author, or maybe their particular generation or social group, than the general public. People have been screening calls with answering machines since before mobile phones were even a thing. Caller ID on mobile phones was brought in specifically so people could screen their calls.

Re: Teenagers no longer answer the phone: Is it a lack of manners or a new trend?

#57

Post by byronvickers »

samanboz wrote: post #44

Gen Z here. Personally I’m glad to get a call from a close friend any time. Especially when it serves the purpose of them just telling me about something funny or interesting that has happened, to discuss some issue where tone of our speech is an essential part of communication, or to organize some get-together and make plans. In such cases I actually appreciate getting the call and happily pick up the phone. I only…

Yes, I strongly agree with all of this.

Relatedly, I am seriously considering getting a landline again so that I (and my young children) can once again live in a world where the barrier to a "quick chat" with friends or family is lowered.

I'd love for my daughter to be able to just pick up the phone, call her friend, and schedule a hangout for that afternoon. (Or for me to be able to do the same with her friend's parents).

And having a dedicated landline for this means none of this needs to involve the mobile phone intruding on our home life.

Re: Teenagers no longer answer the phone: Is it a lack of manners or a new trend?

#58

Post by MrDresden »

Tcepsa wrote: post #51
bnrdr wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FYI you can “silence unknown callers” on the iPhone, just search under settings. Then your whitelist is people you have in your contacts. Maybe Android has a similar setting too, I don’t know though.

Android phones (at least some of them) have "Do Not Disturb" mode which blocks calls from numbers not in your Favorites (i.e. starred contacts)

The issue with DND is that it blocks all incoming notifications as well. That's not what I want at all times. A push notification doesn't take over my device like a phone call does, and I want to be able to get notifications from chat or email even though the sender isn't in my white list.

The whole system underlying phone calls is broken in the same way that the internet is, i.e relying on a level of trust that just isn't there. There is no argument I will accept that will persuade me that any device should be able to contact any other device at all times. There is no need for such a synchronous type of communication, now that we have had the internet for over 40 years.

Re: Teenagers no longer answer the phone: Is it a lack of manners or a new trend?

#59

Post by MrDresden »

jolmg wrote: post #45
MrDresden wrote: post #33

I'm in my late 30's and if it was possible I would block all incoming calls, except those from a whitelist. Never seen it prescribed to manners if someone picks up a phone or not. Is that a US thing?

> Never seen it prescribed to manners if someone picks up a phone or not. Is that a US thing? I would see it analogous to someone in real-life saying hi and the other person ignoring them. Is that rude? Depends on your relationship with the person. A salesman? No. Someone you're really close to? Maybe; depends on your relationship with them. Boss? Likely. It also depends on whether you call back, in case you were dri…

> "I would see it analogous to someone in real-life saying hi and the other person ignoring them. Is that rude? Depends on your relationship with the person. A salesman? No. Someone you're really close to? Maybe; depends on your relationship with them. Boss? Likely."

I would find it unreasonable for anyone to think that who ever they are calling is able to take a phone call at all times. Sometimes I am driving, swimming, sleeping, working, in a conversation with other human beings, or just taking time out. I don't expect other people to be available to me at all times, and would expect the same from them.

My boss knows that I am only available during work hours or during any "pager-duty" times. Otherwise I am not to be contacted (extreme edge cases exist).

If you don't set guidelines for your own time and attention, someone else will do so for you.

Re: Teenagers no longer answer the phone: Is it a lack of manners or a new trend?

#60

Post by bdangubic »

alexjplant wrote: post #14
bdangubic wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

register at https://www.donotcall.gov/ and that will come down to seldom-to-never.

This is empirically false as I've been registered for 19 years and still receive several a day.

it works for me as I stated and there are 1,000’s of companies that have my cell, I’ve had the same number for two decades
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