Edit: Look Who’s Talking

By M H Ahssan

Parliamentary panel says Indians lack mobile phone etiquette

Ever had a movie ruined by a loudmouth discussing each plot twist with somebody on the other end of his mobile phone? If you live in India, chances are that the mobile has interrupted at least one film or play you were trying to enjoy. And with the number of new wireless connections in the country being added — a record 15.4 million in January — the problem is only going to get worse, unless a parliamentary panel’s observations are taken seriously. While India’s mobile phone industry defies the economic slowdown, the Committee on Petitions has rightly observed that Indians lack basic cellphone etiquette.

No one can deny that the cellphone is a tremendously useful device. But if misused it can be a nuisance. From answering phones in cinema halls and theatres to students taking mobiles to class and drivers multitasking in the worst possible way by taking calls while on the road, mobile phone users show everyday that they have bad etiquette. Some of this behaviour can be dangerous as well. For example, people who do not turn off their cellphone on flights risk causing an incident as the radio signals received by the mobile could interfere with the aircraft’s signals. Ditto for those speaking on the phone while at the wheel of a car, which can divert their attention and cause an accident.

But what is the solution? Banning mobile phones is not an option. Whenever a new communications technology becomes popular, it changes the way society is organised. Society has to invent rules for the best way to use the new devices and people have to be educated about what is and is not acceptable. Mobile phone manufacturers and service providers should take the lead in sensitising people about cellphone etiquette through advertisements and banners. At the same time, the use of mobiles can be prohibited in places like hospitals and schools if, as the panel suggests, a landline can be made available for the use of students, teachers and hospital visitors. People got by without mobiles for years, and they can do the same for short periods now.

Mobile phones have made us less considerate of other people. Obeying certain rules when using a cellphone is only an extension of the common courtesy we extend to each other to make our lives easier. It’s a sad indictment of our collective manners when every performance, meeting or movie has to be prefaced with a request to turn off mobile phones.