Dial C for mobile phone courtesy

Whatever happened to plain old courtesy and respect for those within earshot in public places? It's definitely dwindling in the face of advancing technology and it has reached the point where telecom service providers are launching mobile phone courtesy campaigns.

As the number of worldwide mobile users expands rapidly, etiquette is becoming an increasingly important social issue. Sprint, a telecom service provider in the United States, has named July National Cellphone Courtesy Month. The annual campaign encourages the increasingly "unmindful corps" of mobile users to show more respect to their neighbours and surroundings.

Cellular courtesy will become increasingly important as mobiles further invade our lives and crowd into those zones that were until recently relatively quiet.

More airlines are allowing passengers to make calls during flights. Emirates became the first commercial carrier to start offering an in-flight mobile phone service in March.

Common courtesies aside, poor mobile phone manners can have a negative impact on an individual's professional and social life. I still remember a former colleague who was nicknamed Loudspeaker for talking at high decibels over her mobile phone with scant respect for her co-workers.

Mobile manners take on added importance in multi-cultural societies such as Dubai. We are often interrupted at work or in public place by offensive mobile ring tones that intrude into our personal space.

On the face of growing anecdotal evidence, a large dose of mobile phone courtesy is certainly in order especially as we can't blame the lack of cellular civility on technology.

The way society uses new inventions both defines and reflects the existing culture, say social scientists. Mobile phone manufacturers would agree as they say cellular devices are designed for courteous use. The caller ID function screens calls and voicemail records calls, thereby reducing the social intrusion of a call. Messaging options can convey information silently. Ring tones can match indoor and outdoor environments. Most wireless devices have sensitive built-in microphones that can pick up even a whisper, making "cell yell" totally unnecessary.

Even still, the Loudspeakers among us need rules to encourage them to keep quiet. In some countries trains have quiet carriages where the use of mobiles is banned. I wonder if, come September 2009, will this apply on the Dubai Metro?