{"id":7921,"date":"2025-01-09T07:58:18","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T12:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.silvercentury.org\/?p=7921"},"modified":"2025-01-09T07:58:18","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T12:58:18","slug":"todays-phone-etiquette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/2025\/01\/todays-phone-etiquette\/","title":{"rendered":"Today\u2019s Phone Etiquette"},"content":{"rendered":"

I remember the excitement of the telephone ringing in my family home in the 1960s. The call might not be for me but for my parents or a sibling, which would be a letdown to a preteen. Phone calls were an escape for me\u2014without a car, I was confined to my family and the neighborhood kids for companionship. A long phone conversation was a luxury. <\/span><\/p>\n

I remember the strict time limits applied for my calls, so anyone trying to reach my mother could get through. (No call-waiting.) We had a primary phone in the kitchen, one in my parents\u2019 bedroom and an extension downstairs; until the touch tone came out, we dialed. I preferred the extension, so I could stretch the curly cord into the laundry room for privacy. It would get so tangled. More than once, it came out of the phone\u2019s base. <\/span><\/p>\n

Before too long, my parents sprang for a \u201cteen phone\u201d with a separate phone number. Gone were the days of the please-get-off-the-phone dance and pantomime, when Mom was holding up the line, organizing her bridge group, one friend at a time. The big phone book would come every year. I knew my friends\u2019 phone numbers by heart, and curiously, I still remember many of them. <\/span><\/p>\n

Fast-forward to today, when I don\u2019t answer my phone. Yes, I pay for cell service for my iPhone, but if it rings, I don\u2019t answer it. It\u2019s mostly spam; I can count on my true friends and colleagues to text before calling to see if it\u2019s a convenient time to connect. I don\u2019t enjoy talking on the phone as much as digital communication. I schedule calls with my daughters for when they can put me on speakerphone in their cars, and I sit with a large cup of tea. <\/span><\/p>\n

Unscheduled phone calls are disruptive. They demand immediate attention and can interrupt other activities or conversations, whereas messages can be managed more discreetly and at the recipient’s convenience. Texting (preferred) or emailing allows you to focus on the message and be less likely to say something untrue or that you\u2019ll regret.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Phone calls are more time consuming than sending a quick text message or email. Their efficiency drives me toward communication methods that are more efficient within my daily routines. I don\u2019t listen to or leave voicemail messages either. I’ll know you called if we have shared our numbers in Contacts.<\/span><\/p>\n

So don\u2019t call me, I\u2019ll call you\u2014but I\u2019ll text first. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I remember the excitement of the telephone ringing in my family home in the 1960s. The call might not be for me but for my parents or a sibling, which would be a letdown to a preteen. Phone calls were…<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Today\u2019s Phone Etiquette<\/span> ›<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

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