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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: 'Butt dialing' and the nine new deadly sins of cell phone use June 22, 2007 (Computerworld) Like many people these days, Sara Winkler dreads being the butt of "butt dialing." That's the name given to unintentional dialing that occurs when keys are inadvertently pressed on cell phones stowed in pants pockets or purses. "It's happened to me twice in the last three months," says Winkler, who lives in Winter Haven, Fla., and is a leadership development specialist at a large insurance company. "I had three-minute messages of shuffling and background noise on my answering machine." "I've done that to my husband, and he hears me singing along to the radio in the car," says Kathleen Baker, a human resources coordinator at a Portland, Ore., hospital. "Or my phone will ring and I'll hear somebody order their lunch." It's a rare person these days who doesn't have horror stories about loud, annoying or inappropriate cell phone use they've encountered in airports, hotel lobbies, even theaters and funerals. While many abuses, such as loud chattering, have been long discussed, newer abuses, such as butt dialing, are becoming common. In fact, there are at least nine new deadly sins of cell phone use, of which butt dialing is one. At the end of this article, you'll have the chance to vote on which of the deadly sins you think is the worst. Also, please share your worst incident of mobile phone rudeness in our Comments section at the bottom of this page. The old sins: Bad and getting worse Before discussing the new deadly sins of cell phone use, it's worth emphasizing that the old sins, such as loud talking in public places, haven't gone away. Part of the problem is that many people believe that if they pay for mobile phone service, they should be able to use their phone in any way they want. It's kind of like smokers believing that since they paid for the cigarettes, they should be allowed to smoke them anywhere. "Somehow, there's a sense of entitlement," says Pat Pesci, director of the hotel and restaurant management program at Kansas State University. Joseph Grenny, a co-founder of VitalSmarts, a company that specializes in corporate training and organizational performance, says that one of the biggest problems with bad mobile phone behavior is that it makes victims feel powerless. He also is co-author of the book Crucial Confrontations, which discusses how to handle socially difficult situations, such as cell phone misconduct. He likened such situations to a mugging he witnessed on a subway platform. "The woman got pushed and somebody grabbed her purse and ran away," Grenny recalls. "Seven hundred people must have watched it but, combined, they were less powerful than [the mugger] because they didn't do anything about it." A Web survey conducted by VitalSmarts found that 91% of the respondents had recently suffered from what Grenny calls technology-related public displays of insensitivity (PDI). Interestingly, 83% of the respondents claimed they never or rarely were guilty of committing a PDI. In other words, people are being rude and boorish with their cell phones and aren't aware of their own transgressions, Grenny noted. The new deadly sins While the old cell phone sins still pertain, here are nine new deadly sins of mobile phone use and how to avoid committing them or becoming a victim. 1. Butt dialing This sin is typically caused by people who don't understand issues such as how the "dial last number called" feature can be accidentally triggered. "It's happened to me," Pesci says. "It's embarrassing." The recipient of a butt-dialed call typically hears background talk, the sound of clothes rustling or the contents of the purse jostling. However, there's the potential for embarrassment if the butt-dialer happens to be talking about sensitive business or personal issues. Avoid butt dialing by learning how to lock the keyboard of your phone. 2. Aisle clogging This sin occurs when people are clamoring to get off an airplane and somebody stands in the aisle and is focused on making a call, checking for voice messages, looking at e-mail or sending a text message. The result: Everybody behind the person is forced to wait. "I was on a plane and somebody insisted on immediately getting on her phone to call whoever was picking her up," Winkler says. "'We just landed,' she said. 'Now, they've just opened the door.' Finally, a diplomatic man took her bag out of the overhead and handed it to her and she seemed to get the point." Grenny noted that variations of this sin can occur in any line, such as the line of a fast-food restaurant or a grocery checkout. "It's absolute rudeness," he says. Avoid aisle clogging by making the business at hand your first priority. Once you are in the terminal or out of line, you can check your e-mail, make your calls or send text messages. It can wait that long. Really. 3. Untoward braggadocio This often takes the form of two or more people loudly comparing their phones in public. And, as mobile devices shrink, it often takes the form of "mine is smaller than yours." (Full disclosure: The author confesses to this particular sin.) "It's a guy thing," Winkler laughs. Grenny calls this sin "brandishing." "You'll see it on an airplane where one guy takes out his phone, and then his neighbor takes out his phone." Avoid untoward braggadocio by not doing it. Or at least doing it quietly. 4. Bad phone hygiene There are two common manifestations of this problem. The first is lending a phone to someone and getting it back full of face-grease smudges. The second occurs when you lend your phone to somebody, who hands you it back to you and says something like, "I hope you don't catch my cold." Avoid bad phone hygiene by being thoughtful and remembering that most phones have smooth surfaces that easily pick up smudges. And a little common courtesy, please, if you have a cold. Or be like Baker. "I'm a germaphobe," she says. "I just don't lend my phone to others." 5. Bad headset denial It's hardly a secret that it's difficult to hear some cell phone calls. Sometimes, the problem is just a bad connection. Other times, though, a person's headset is either poorly positioned so that it rubs against the person's jaw, creating a lot of noise or is too far away from the mouth. "When that happens, you get about 30% of the conversation," Grenny says. You go, 'Uh-huh,' just to fake your participation in the conversation." The problem: Some people will deny vociferously that their headset is at fault. Avoid bad headset denial by taking the time to adjust your headset before blaming the other party for bad reception. Also, ask the person on the other end of the call whether he can hear you clearly. 6. Inappropriate headset use One form of this sin is that some people speak loudly while using a small headset. The result is that the sinner appears to be talking to himself. The second manifestation is wearing your headset when it isn't appropriate. Those two issues can come together in public restrooms. "All of a sudden, somebody says something in the bathroom and you know you're the only other person in there," Baker says. "It makes you wonder how important that call is if it couldn't wait two minutes." "Guys will stand at a urinal and continue their conversation all the way through," Grenny notes. "I always wonder if they're really good friends with the person they're talking with." Winkler has a simple tip to avoid this sin. "A headset is small and it's easy to forget it's on, but don't wear it if you're not talking on the phone," she says. 7. Phone camera abuse Because they are a potential security threat, many companies don't allow use of cameras in their facilities and won't buy camera phones for employees. In public, though, camera phones turn everybody into potential paparazzi and can be a source of significant discourtesy. Grenny says that one respondent to his company's survey on mobile phone abuse told of somebody taking a picture of the corpse at a funeral. "People feel that if something happens in public, it's fair game for their phone," Grenny says. "But I'm not sure I want somebody taking a picture of my wife's kiss at an airport when I'm leaving on a trip." Avoid phone camera abuse by remembering the general rule of thumb used by professional photographers: "If it's not a public figure doing something in public, you have no right to snap photos unless you have permission," Grenny says. 8. Crunchy calling: Eating and talking This sin is similar to using your phone while in the bathroom in that it results in the person you are talking with hearing your body at work. "People don't understand that their chewing sounds are being heard so loudly," Grenny says. "Sometimes people ask if it's OK to eat and talk, I've done that with friends," Winkler says. "But half the time, I just hear crunching in my ear. Depending on my mood, I'll let it go or sometimes I'll ask, 'Is that a potato chip you're eating? What flavor is it?'" Avoid eating and talking by, well, avoiding eating and talking. And if you're the recipient of a crunchy call, let the caller politely know that you'd prefer to talk when he's done eating. 9. Public speakerphoning Sometimes, speaking obnoxiously loudly isn't enough for cell phone sinners: They need you to hear both sides of the conversation, so they'll put on their speakerphone in public. A related sin is loud, public push-to-talk sessions. Grenny came across this sin most recently in the breakfast area of a motel. "Two guys were hunched over a phone and were yelling into it. They were having a fight with the other person about something, and they were vulgar and loud. This went on for 20 minutes, and not a single person said anything to them." Avoid public speakerphoning by only using the speakerphone on your cell phone when absolutely necessary, and only doing it in a private place. Just say no Being around others who are behaving inappropriately is always uncomfortable, but the consensus among those contacted for this article was that you have to do something. "Public manners are shaped through public conversation," Grenny says. "A lot of people are waiting for [cell phone] manners to catch up with other areas, and that won't happen until people politely tell others when there's a problem." The level of politeness required when confronting a cell phone miscreant is open to debate. Some think firmness is the best approach while others counsel avoiding confrontation. In any case, those who participated in this story agreed that unless loud-talkers, butt-dialers and other phone sinners are reminded of their actions, mobile phone annoyances will continue and increase. David Haskin is a contributing editor specializing in mobile and wireless issues.
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#1. To: Zipporah (#0)
I do not own a cell phone, and I am damn proud of it.
I own a prepaid phone, since I very rarely use a cellphone, but I did butt-dial once, to a friend, who wondered what the hell I was doing in my car talking to my dog.
Freeper motto: I read, but do not understand, I write, but make no sense, I think, but nothing happens.
one time I was leaving the grocery store and heard a distant voice screaming "help!".....I looked all around, was getting really worried, but couldn't figure out where it was coming from. so I asked a passing woman if she heard it. she listened carefully and finally said "I think it's coming from your backpack" my phone, in my backpack, had dialed my home. my daughter had called "mom" a few times to no avail, and had decided to scream "help!" to get my attention. lol - it worked. after that I learned how to lock it.
OMG thats hilarious!!
one thing that's not mentioned here that really bugs me is when I'm driving and I look in the rearview and someone is following so closely they look like they're connected to my car, and they're talking on a cell phone. I never use my phone when I'm driving (I'll pull over if I have to answer it) because I find it distracting, plus it's difficult to shift gears while holding a phone. so it always freaks me out when someone else is yakking and tailgating.
Well call me guilty..not of tailgating but of talking on the phone while driving :P
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