Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Shock Report: "Cell Phone Users Admit Faking Calls to Avoid Awkward Interactions"

Well, well,well - did we really need a survey (conducted by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project) to tell us that mobile phone users sometimes deflect awkward conversations by faking phone calls? Reshma Kirpalani of ABC News reported yesterday that Cell Phone Users Admit Faking Calls to Avoid Awkward Interactions. Now I know!

Look busy!
Image link to geeksugar.
We see it all the time on TV - people leaving courts always seem to be on the phone when they leave the building. Or politicians outside Government buildings must be fielding a call from a constituent at the precise moment a reporter is asking an awkward question. Sometimes you even see people on their own "talking" or "texting" - soooo busy. I'm guilty of this too! Having not grown up in the mobile phone age, I'm not embarrassed by being seen to do nothing. But just occasionally I'll whip out the iPhone and "check" for email or text messages. Being able to surf the web makes you look even busier. This activity even has a name - Communifaking!

On a more serious note, "this type of avoidance behavior may further deteriorate our face-to-face communication skills" according to Emerson Smith of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine - this can be a particular problem in the work-place affecting team building skills and communication. We have been warned!

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