Is the world terrified of phone calls?

[Katganistan]

I treat the cell phone as my convenience not others. I pick up a call when I want too

Same at home.

yup

[Katganistan]

I just received a phone call 20 minutes ago, it was a scam call masquerading as Medicaid.

LOL @ nations that haven't outlawed cold calling.

They have. The criminals don't care.

[Krasny-Volny]

I still phone in all my medical appointments. I lack the tech savvyness to do them completely online, and doctors’ offices are used to dealing with technology illiterate older folks, so they don’t judge me too harshly.

Phone calls is how I communicate with my supervisors or clients when I’m at a work site (I’m a field supervisor; my supervisor/client is usually sitting in an office back in town). When you work a job like mine, learning how to do phone stuff is essential. Always call if you have a question. Contrary to popular belief, it’s better to ask permission than forgiveness. Especially if you’re building or removing something, as this action cannot be undone later. Construction people, y’all know what I’m talking about.

I do phone interviews for most of my jobs. You have to be able to hack this kind of thing, or you will seriously prejudice your employment prospects.

Finally, I call people in my personal life. Here’s a pro tip - people you have personal relationships with always appreciate the extra effort put into a phone call, even if they’re not good on the phone. It really shows you care, you’re willing to go to extra mile. I call my parents, I call my best friends, and I call my dates. Sure, I text a lot too, but some things just have to be done in person or at least over the phone when it comes to personal stuff.

[Free Algerstonia]

Idk man. I've been scared because every single time a car company calls me about my warranty and that I need to pay thousands of dollars for it. I've been losing so much money from my car warranty I'm considering just selling my car and using Ubers and rentals from now on. Every time I see an unknown number, I know there is going to be another issue with my warranty I need to pay for.

[The Alma Mater]

Here’s a pro tip - people you have personal relationships with always appreciate the extra effort put into a phone call

I most definitely do not. I consider it a gross and inconsiderate action from the person calling me. I will phone if *they* need to talk; but calling me "to show effort" will quickly lead to you being blocked.

[HISPIDA]

Here’s a pro tip - people you have personal relationships with always appreciate the extra effort put into a phone call

I most definitely do not. I consider it a gross and inconsiderate action from the person calling me. I will phone if *they* need to talk; but calling me "to show effort" will quickly lead to you being blocked.

this honestly

[Krasny-Volny]

Here’s a pro tip - people you have personal relationships with always appreciate the extra effort put into a phone call

I most definitely do not. I consider it a gross and inconsiderate action from the person calling me. I will phone if *they* need to talk; but calling me "to show effort" will quickly lead to you being blocked.

You never phoned your parents, grandparents just to check up on them? Maybe it’s a cultural difference.

[The Alma Mater]

I most definitely do not. I consider it a gross and inconsiderate action from the person calling me. I will phone if *they* need to talk; but calling me "to show effort" will quickly lead to you being blocked.

You never phoned your parents, grandparents just to check up on them? Maybe it’s a cultural difference.

I do not call people who explicitly told me they dislike calling unless absolutely necessary, no.

[Jerzylvania]

Idk man. I've been scared because every single time a car company calls me about my warranty and that I need to pay thousands of dollars for it. I've been losing so much money from my car warranty I'm considering just selling my car and using Ubers and rentals from now on. Every time I see an unknown number, I know there is going to be another issue with my warranty I need to pay for.

That particular spam call has repeatedly been mentioned in the thread. And with good reason. They really suck a lot.

[Free Algerstonia]

Idk man. I've been scared because every single time a car company calls me about my warranty and that I need to pay thousands of dollars for it. I've been losing so much money from my car warranty I'm considering just selling my car and using Ubers and rentals from now on. Every time I see an unknown number, I know there is going to be another issue with my warranty I need to pay for.

That particular spam call has repeatedly been mentioned in the thread. And with good reason. They really suck a lot.

How much do they make you pay?

[Saiwania]

Idk man. I've been scared because every single time a car company calls me about my warranty and that I need to pay thousands of dollars for it.

So don't pay for an auto warranty if the math doesn't make sense for you. The entire point is that you'll be able to trade a more depreciated vehicle for a newer equivalent model if the auto dealership honors their contract with you in exchange for all the money you're paying them. They obviously wouldn't do it if it wasn't profitable.

Extended warranties in general however, are almost always a bad deal from what I can tell. If you can't afford to repair your car, you can't afford the car anyways.

[Jerzylvania]

That particular spam call has repeatedly been mentioned in the thread. And with good reason. They really suck a lot.

How much do they make you pay?

Huh? Who said i paid them? Or even had a conversationwith them. See, that's why they call and call and call. I don't take their calls yet they just keep at it. That's what's so annoying.

Idk man. I've been scared because every single time a car company calls me about my warranty and that I need to pay thousands of dollars for it.

So don't pay for an auto warranty if the math doesn't make sense for you. The entire point is that you'll be able to trade a more depreciated vehicle for a newer equivalent model if the auto dealership honors their contract with you in exchange for all the money you're paying them. They obviously wouldn't do it if it wasn't profitable.

Extended warranties in general however, are almost always a bad deal from what I can tell. If you can't afford to repair your car, you can't afford the car anyways.

Exactly. And buy a quality vehicle to start with. One can check with Edmonds and Consumer Reports for the projected reliability of the vehicle in question.

[95X]

I was about to say something, but quickly realized I already said it back in November on page two of this thread.

But people are only going to judge you a tiny little bit if you use the wrong there/their/they're in an email. They're going to judge you a lot if your phone conversation is full of "like" and "um" and timidly spoken sentences.

One-hundred-percent this. There are people who are sticklers for spelling and grammar that understand not everyone received the same education they did while generally speaking there's very little to no formal education in speaking skills. (I remember learning that when a superior is talking you listen, but very little on the other way around.)

[Jerzylvania]

Disconnected

[Figgernaggot]

Weird. I know some people that don't seem to like talking on the phone, but I never known anyone that had an actual fear of it. I am fine talking on the phone and so are most of my friends.

[Jerzylvania]

Weird. I know some people that don't seem to like talking on the phone, but I never known anyone that had an actual fear of it. I am fine talking on the phone and so are most of my friends.

*Ma Bell shrugs*

[Hamidiye]

Certainly rings true with me. I am an old fuck and grew up before the mobile phone, nevermind the smart one. I remember the time when my phone was a black-and-chrome thing sat on my fathers desk... whoever doesn't know what a dialing disc is has my condolences. This age of ever-present availlability has its downsides. Hell, the one feature of my smartphone I use and need the least is the ability to make phone calls. That and all that fuckerberg-nonsense, whats-crap and all the like. Heard he threatened to get out of europe - and may angels speed him on his way, never to return, haharr.

The phone itself is well and good, but being at its call without remorse is not something I couldn't do without.

[Blue Luna X]

I sometimes call my friends, but texting is a bit more convenient so I just prefer it. I don't experience anything like the fear that the OP describes.

[Jerzylvania]

Certainly rings true with me. I am an old fuck and grew up before the mobile phone, nevermind the smart one. I remember the time when my phone was a black-and-chrome thing sat on my fathers desk... whoever doesn't know what a dialing disc is has my condolences. This age of ever-present availlability has its downsides. Hell, the one feature of my smartphone I use and need the least is the ability to make phone calls. That and all that fuckerberg-nonsense, whats-crap and all the like. Heard he threatened to get out of europe - and may angels speed him on his way, never to return, haharr.

The phone itself is well and good, but being at its call without remorse is not something I couldn't do without.

No one ever got a device addiction from a rotary phone.

Suggestion for Zuckerberg's autobiography... it's titled "An American Psycho".

[Hamidiye]

Certainly rings true with me. I am an old fuck and grew up before the mobile phone, nevermind the smart one. I remember the time when my phone was a black-and-chrome thing sat on my fathers desk... whoever doesn't know what a dialing disc is has my condolences. This age of ever-present availlability has its downsides. Hell, the one feature of my smartphone I use and need the least is the ability to make phone calls. That and all that fuckerberg-nonsense, whats-crap and all the like. Heard he threatened to get out of europe - and may angels speed him on his way, never to return, haharr.

The phone itself is well and good, but being at its call without remorse is not something I couldn't do without.

No one ever got a device addiction from a rotary phone.

Suggestion for Zuckerberg's autobiography... it's titled "An American Psycho".

The idea of internet anywhere is great, most of the things my phone does (combining so many things into it) is excellent... things like Instagram and facebopok are garbage, as are these weird kind of people who think of their own privacy as a good propduct for sale, the so-called influencers. It's the being-constantly-availlable thing that irks me. An Email I can always read later... but when my boss sends me a whatsapp message he seems to have the idea I should read and reply immediately, and gets a notification whether I did read or not read. And then there's the phone itself, it should be an option not to be home, so to speak.

As for the whole privacy shebang: The moment you sign that infernal google "terms of service" without reading by using a phone of theirs (or Apple, I suppose, heard in passing you americans actually still use apple) you're on the hook anyway. Yes, it will track your location and any kind of data that can be sold is of course gathered and made into money. I'd think about getting a Huawei phone instead, for the Chinese surely have less use for my privacy information than google does.

Back when facebook first appeared my newspaper brought this cartoon: 2 pigs sitting in the mud, eating. One says: "Pretty neat this place, I wonder why that farmer-dude gives it to us for free!"

[Mexica Valley]

One day, my mom happened to have a particular illness, and her online doctor said he needed some lab data. So I had to find out which labs (1) offer the particular service we needed and (2) are the cheapest. (Public healthcare quality here is terrible - fuck those, meaning that those lucky enough to be able to afford it universally use private services). So I did what a sensible guy would do - Google it. But some labs only have the necessary information in their mobile apps, so I have to install them first. Then, I made a list of the available products and their prices, which is quite complex since many of them offer services in package bundles promos. Their UX isn't really that great, too.

My mom, impatient, then told me: "why don't you just call them and ask?" Truthfully, I've thought about that, but I purposely avoided it until it's not really logical to maintain. So I did. I thought of the things I'd like to talk about, ran them in my head, enter the number, and then press the "call" button.

I needed 5-10 minutes just to gather enough will to press it. It used to be worse, but it's getting better.

Apparently, I'm not alone.

81% of millennials get apprehension anxiety before summoning up the courage to make a call. 75% of millennials avoid phone calls as they’re time-consuming, 64% try to avoid whiny or needy people. 63% of people use the excuse ‘I didn’t notice it ring/vibrate’ as a reason for avoiding your call, followed by 12% blaming phone signal. https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/why-mil ... nore-calls

In general, phoning people without prior text-based notification first, if you're a stranger, seems to now be universally seen as rude at best and a criminal (in a legal sense) malice of hostile or scammy intent at worst.

Calling without even texting or emailing first is also deemed inconsiderate by today’s youth. For them, it means the caller is imposing on their time, or disrupting their schedule. Your CRM personnel will most likely receive the cold shoulder (or a hurried “goodbye”) when your consumers realize they need to wait for five to ten minutes before they get what they need. Studies also reveal that members of Generation Z are even less likely to want to be “always reachable” by phone call than their millennial counterparts. https://godeskless.com/blog/millennials ... ies-adapt/

This dramatic shift has had a significant impact on how businesses operate and interact with customers, as the two youngest generation seems to have a significantly lower attention span and patience to those asking for their time.

Millennials and Gen-Z don’t like the “small talk” aspect of phone calls, including niceties and greetings. They prefer faster, more direct communication, with straightforward results. A quick text, they think, would have the same effect in an arguably shorter time. In a business transaction setting, this will only trigger impatience and misunderstanding with your customers. By the end of the call, they will have likely Google-searched your competitor as an alternative to your services. https://godeskless.com/blog/millennials ... ies-adapt/

A recent comScore study shows that millennials don’t engage with longer pieces of selling content. Ads targeting millennials need to be just 5 to 6 seconds in length to be effective. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/21/comscor ... ntion.html

(On that note, I think I now understand why the New York Times employs the should-be-illegal "click to subscribe, call to unsubscribe" policy on their customers.)

Anecdotally, I think two other additional reasons unmentioned above are (1) today's far stricter awareness of privacy and (2) the prevalence of telemarketers and scam calls. If someone calls you through your phone, 90% of the time it'll be an annoying salesman who illegally (at least according to my standards) acquired your number, or an annoying scammer from a scam farm. Now, if a number i don't know calls, I pretend to not notice and wait until the call dies down (I don't even try to reject it - there are various rumors circulating here about how even "rejecting" a phone call can compromise your security), with the assumption that they'll text me is it's actually something important. From which I'll then engage - through text.

Then again, this might not be entirely caused by phone itself, but part of a larger cultural shift.

The Center for Generational Kinetics has found that millennials prefer to communicate in this order:

• Texts and texting apps like WhatsApp/Facebook Messenger
• Email, with the subject line being the most important aspect
• Social media
• Phone calls
• In-person interactions

From this, we can see that the issue is not with phones themselves, but calling. In fact, research shows that 39 percent of millennials would rather interact with their phones than with actual people. https://genhq.com/marketing-selling-to- ... als-gen-y/

Thoughts? What do you think about phone calls? What does this phenomenon say about the development of our society?

Phone calls convey more emotion than a text and thus for who are more socially awkward or have trouble conveying varying tones of voice it’s more difficult. This has probably already been said many times, but last two generations have essentially become accustomed to texting over phone calls. And here’s some of my thinking— but more than ever, after all the covid stuff, we might be slightly less sociable after all the isolation. After all, if we don’t use something, we loose it.

[The Grand World Order]

I have precisely zero issue with phone calls. They guarantee that the other person is getting what I'm saying, and I can quickly rephrase it if need be.

I was about to say something, but quickly realized I already said it back in November on page two of this thread.

But people are only going to judge you a tiny little bit if you use the wrong there/their/they're in an email. They're going to judge you a lot if your phone conversation is full of "like" and "um" and timidly spoken sentences.

One-hundred-percent this. There are people who are sticklers for spelling and grammar that understand not everyone received the same education they did while generally speaking there's very little to no formal education in speaking skills. (I remember learning that when a superior is talking you listen, but very little on the other way around.)

I judge a person a lot more if they lock up being faced by a phone call.

[Jerzylvania]

No one ever got a device addiction from a rotary phone.

Suggestion for Zuckerberg's autobiography... it's titled "An American Psycho".

The idea of internet anywhere is great, most of the things my phone does (combining so many things into it) is excellent... things like Instagram and facebopok are garbage, as are these weird kind of people who think of their own privacy as a good propduct for sale, the so-called influencers. It's the being-constantly-availlable thing that irks me. An Email I can always read later... but when my boss sends me a whatsapp message he seems to have the idea I should read and reply immediately, and gets a notification whether I did read or not read. And then there's the phone itself, it should be an option not to be home, so to speak.

As for the whole privacy shebang: The moment you sign that infernal google "terms of service" without reading by using a phone of theirs (or Apple, I suppose, heard in passing you americans actually still use apple) you're on the hook anyway. Yes, it will track your location and any kind of data that can be sold is of course gathered and made into money. I'd think about getting a Huawei phone instead, for the Chinese surely have less use for my privacy information than google does.

Back when facebook first appeared my newspaper brought this cartoon: 2 pigs sitting in the mud, eating. One says: "Pretty neat this place, I wonder why that farmer-dude gives it to us for free!"

Heh. Good cartoon. Pigs are purportedly the fifth most intelligent animal in the world.

It's best to be a smart person with a dumb phone than the other way around.

[Hamidiye]

The idea of internet anywhere is great, most of the things my phone does (combining so many things into it) is excellent... things like Instagram and facebopok are garbage, as are these weird kind of people who think of their own privacy as a good propduct for sale, the so-called influencers. It's the being-constantly-availlable thing that irks me. An Email I can always read later... but when my boss sends me a whatsapp message he seems to have the idea I should read and reply immediately, and gets a notification whether I did read or not read. And then there's the phone itself, it should be an option not to be home, so to speak.

As for the whole privacy shebang: The moment you sign that infernal google "terms of service" without reading by using a phone of theirs (or Apple, I suppose, heard in passing you americans actually still use apple) you're on the hook anyway. Yes, it will track your location and any kind of data that can be sold is of course gathered and made into money. I'd think about getting a Huawei phone instead, for the Chinese surely have less use for my privacy information than google does.

Back when facebook first appeared my newspaper brought this cartoon: 2 pigs sitting in the mud, eating. One says: "Pretty neat this place, I wonder why that farmer-dude gives it to us for free!"

Heh. Good cartoon. Pigs are purportedly the fifth most intelligent animal in the world.

It's best to be a smart person with a dumb phone than the other way around.

My old phone broke a few weeks back and the replacement had some shipping issues..turns out the old e-reader has its advantages as well, I wonder why there are so few new models of those. Might be my old-timey mindset, but the idea of having a library in my coat-pocket still seems absolutely wonderful to me to this day. The damn thing is a decade old, about as waterproof and robust as a pocket-book and the battery still lasts a month.

On that account and out of curiosity: how much "mileage" do you americans get out of your contracts web-volume-wise? I pay 10€ a month for 7GB LTE (though rarely get more than edge connection anywhere, due to living in a rather rural area) and 60 minutes to all networks, how about over there?

[Krogard]

I hate phone calls. But then again, I'm not fond of any form of direct interaction with other people.