10 Rude Things You Really Should Do On Your Mobile Phone

You would think that people would have some common sense when it comes to mobile phone etiquette these days. After all, nearly everybody uses a cell phone now; the novelty has worn off so we don’t have much excuse for our manners to be lacking. But as you probably well know, most people exhibit some pretty rude behavior when they’re talking on their cell phones – whether it’s rude to the person on the phone or rude to the people around them during the call. Before you start pointing fingers at the Chatty Cathy exposing her dirty secrets on the subway in an obnoxiously loud voice, you might want to look in the mirror. Almost all of us are guilty of doing something that violates a basic code of mobile phone niceness.

Here are the top ten rude things that the average mobile phone user is guilty of doing:

1. Putting the person on the other end of the line on hold.

Let’s face it; we often have a good reason to tell the person we’re speaking to that they need to “hold on for a sec”. After all, when we’re on our mobile phones, we’re often out and about in the world around us. We need to pay the cashier, stop to read the street sign or take an important call from someone else on the other line who expects to be able to reach us on that mobile number. They’re all good reasons. But when someone is paying by the minute for the luxury of talking to you, they don’t want to have to hang out on hold. We all do it but that doesn’t make it any less rude every time that it happens. Focus on the conversation at hand or tell the person that you’re going to call them back later.

2. Badmouthing, gossiping and talking behind someone’s back.

It’s rude to say bad things about someone at any time but the reality of life is that most of us do it anyway. Unfortunately, many of us forget that we’re out amidst other people when we’re on our cell phones and we don’t tailor our conversations accordingly. No matter how big the city that you live in, this is often a very small world. You never know who is going to be listening to what you say on your cell; it could be the person you’re talking about or someone who knows them. Many people even knowingly talk about others who are near them at the time of the conversation (as in “ohmygod, you won’t believe what the lady across from me just did”). These types of mobile phone conversations can prove to be embarrassing for you and hurtful for the person you’re talking about. If you must gossip, keep your catty chatter to the confines of your home.

3. Talking on the phone while making a purchase.

Have you noticed that coffee shops everywhere have started putting up signs telling customers that they must hang up their phones before placing their orders? You shouldn’t have to have a sign to tell you that it’s just plain rude. The person that you’re ordering something from has to stand behind that counter and wait for you. The people behind you have to wait to get their orders until you’ve finally placed yours. No matter how efficient you think you’re being, you probably don’t multi-task as well as you think. Hang up before entering a store and call the person back when your purchase is complete.

4. Paying more attention to your phone than to the person that you’re with.

We all say that we know that this is rude. Most of us pay some attention to the etiquette surrounding this; for example, many people won’t take mobile phone calls on a first date since they realize that it’s bad behavior to do so. (If you didn’t realize this, brush up on our guide to seducing a woman with your cell phone.) But the reality is that we’ve gotten used to having our phones at our hips and many of us have fallen into the bad habit of taking calls when we’re out with friends, co-workers and even people we’re dating. Like it or not, this sends the message to the people that we’re with that they just aren’t as interesting as what’s happening on the phone. Yes, even texting while out with friends is rude.

5. Talking way too loud in public.

Have you ever noticed that the majority of people have a mobile phone speaking voice that is significantly louder than their usual conversational voice? Sometimes that’s to make up for the background noise and bad coverage on the cell phone. However, for many people it’s just a habit to speak loudly into the phone. When you’re out in public and the rest of the world is trying to conduct its business, your loud voice can get really annoying really quickly.

6. Sharing your business with others.

While you’re busy talking so loudly, you may be oblivious to the fact that the people around you are listening to the content of your conversation. Whether you’re noticing it or not, they hear everything that you say. Maybe you don’t care if the elderly woman on the bus knows the intimate details of last night’s hot date with the person whose name you’ve now forgotten. Perhaps you think it’s a mother’s responsibility to shield her young child’s ears from the uncensored conversation you’re having while dining out. But the reality is that there are certain topics that it’s rude to talk about in public. If you wouldn’t say these things directly to the strangers around you, why are you saying them in a place that they have to hear you?

7. Taking calls in inappropriate places.

Don’t answer your cell phone while you’re in a public restroom; it’s rude to the caller. Don’t spend an entire movie sending text messages to your friends; the people around you can hear you texting even if you think that you’re being quiet. Just because you always have your phone with you doesn’t mean that you always have to use it. Ask yourself if the place you’re in is really a good place to be taking a call.

8. Using your mobile phone’s camera without permission.

First of all, you shouldn’t take pictures of strangers out in public because it’s not only rude but can come off as downright creepy. More importantly, you shouldn’t use your camera to upload pictures directly to a mobile blog or social networking site without the permission of the person in the photo. Just because your drunk friend thought it was okay for you to snap that photo doesn’t mean that your drunk self should immediately post it to MySpace.

9. Throwing out old phones instead of recycling them.

This is the twenty-first century and if you’re being careless with your electronics then you’re being rude to the earth and all of the other people who have to live here. It’s wasteful. It has the potential to be dangerous. And it’s something that far too many people are guilty of. Be green with your cell phone instead of being rude with it.

10. Recording lengthy skits and songs instead of voice mail messages for those people who are calling you to sit through.

Sure, you think it’s cute that you’ve identified the perfect song for someone who is calling you. But frankly, most people would rather hear something short and to the point (such as “leave your message at the beep”) than to listen to a whole song. This is especially true if it’s someone who calls regularly and has heard your message a million times. Simple is sometimes the best way to go.

The main thing to remember is that people are responsible for exercising some common sense when it comes to all of their actions. This includes their wireless phone use. Just because you have the ability to take calls anywhere and say anything that you want in public doesn’t mean that you should take advantage of that ability. Follow The Golden Rule in this case and everyone will be better off.

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