VibeSurgeon@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Why are people afraid of phone calls? I literally don’t get it
I can reply to your message when I have the time for it and carry on.
I can delay the reply if it’s not urgent.
You can spend time actually writing what you want from me, so I can read it, and give you full answer. We both can then actually recall the conversation because it’s saved.
And for people saying you can deny the calls - you can, and then you deal with narcissistic assholes having beef with you for doing so.
To add to Wolf’s really well thought out and written post, as kids a ringing phone was something you were expected to answer. Voice mail and caller ID were common by 2000 to the point of being essentially everywhere, but not everybody had it before then and that meant that if the phone rang, you HAD to pick it up. The only way to avoid it was to not be home.
Then when cell phones happened, as Wolf already said, Millennials had them so parents could keep track of you even when you weren’t at home and calls were pricey enough that they were really for emergencies only, not for talking with friends, so they were just another leash for helicopter parents to control their kids with, like putting gps trackers on kids’ cars nowadays. They weren’t even smart phones at that point, so all they could really do was call or text.
And then jobs started expecting you to be available in your off time. You know the meme about Americans being available out of the office by cell phone during surgery? That exists because there was a period where bosses everywhere expected to be able to call you at all hours of the day to check your email or answer questions and work unpaid. It’s gotten better now to some degree, but it’s still definitely a cultural thing. I’ve heard plenty of people complaining about getting a call from their boss asking them to come in on their day off.
There was a short period of time where phones were cool and people did stuff like make custom ringtones, but I’ve had enough spam calls wake me up at 4am, people calling and “ruining the mood” with a gf or whatever, and even getting called by a parent who threatened to call 911 on me because I didn’t respond to their text within 10 minutes that a ringing phone does nothing but piss me off now. I’ve heard that Gen Z/Alpha just permanently leave their phones on silent, and I completely get it. The act of privacy of simply being unreachable is lost in today’s world.
cRazi_man@europe.pub 3 weeks ago
I resent idea that phone calls coming through unexpectedly at any time. As if I should drop whatever I’m doing at any given moment to talk to this person.
VibeSurgeon@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
They come with a red button, and you’re allowed to press it. You can’t be forced into a call, you have to provide consent
cRazi_man@europe.pub 3 weeks ago
I leave it on silent. I don’t want the ringtone to bother me either. My job is an excellent example. People at work think “speaking to someone about their question” is the ideal thing to do. It takes me at least twice as long to do tasks with interruptions. Just put your query in an email or your job on my task list and I’ll do it in turn. Do not try to call me.
At home I’m even less likely to use phones for calls unless it’s my parents or brothers. I don’t want anyone to bother my playing with kids, gaming, exercising, pooping, eating, chores, etc. I try to deal with everything I can through messages and emails.
pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
Yes. If folks would text “can you talk this afternoon?” more often, I would take more phone call.