I had no idea that this was the case:
In May a survey found that a third of Brits panic when their phone rings unexpectedly and many don’t even answer calls, with Gen Z pleading ‘just text me’.
In a time where cold callers and scammers ringing you up out of the blue happens more often than not, almost 37 per cent of those asked said they are less likely to answer when they receive a call without notice than they were five years ago.
Some 12 per cent of those surveyed said it has been a week – or even longer – since they last spoke to someone on the phone.
And Gen Z have flocked to TikTok to beg people ‘text me’ and telling their viewers how they just sit ‘watching my phone ring’ if ‘absolutely anyone’ calls.
Yeah, I don’t ever answer my phone either, unless the number is in my address book, or else it’s an identified call from a company or person I already know.
As it is, I get two to three text messages a day from some unidentified source or other, saying they found my number in their callers’ list and don’t know who I am (or similar nonsense). And even worse are the texts that say junk like “Hi! We haven’t chatted for ages. Can you call me?” (#Trashdump #Unacknowledged)
I did look up the area codes listed by a few of these text callers, and imagine my surprise when I discovered that all of them are commonly-used fronts for spam calls which originate in exotic locales like the Philippines, China or Central Europe. (They’re the new Nigeria of email fame.)
Hell, I don’t even answer unidentified calls from my own area code.
It’s a minefield out there, folks, and ignoring this bullshit is not paranoia, but prudence.
Parallel thought: this panic comes from, of all places, the BritGov, who calls people to collect statistics and now can’t get the info they want. Let us all remember the immortal words of Governor John Cowperthwaite of Hong Kong, talking about his refusal to let his government collect data from the population:
“If I let them compute those statistics, they’ll want to use them for planning.”
Wiser words were seldom spoken.
I won’t be surprised if in the next year or 2 I just stop acknowledging I even have a phone.
I never use it, but it seems everyone else does.
So why am I paying for it?
Just email me…or leave my ass alone.
I remember reading a fiction book back in the ’80’s where the author’s character used the answering machine to screen calls, and a call was received with, “Pick up if you’re there”. It got my attention as at that time, I wouldn’t have considered not answering the phone. However, as time passed, I could see the point of using your answering machine for call screening.
This is a modern version of the same behavior, except the cell phone is providing the number of the caller, so the person can screen who is calling. “Too terrified to answer the phone” sounds like an attempt by the spammer to rationalize (and shame) people’s learned response to having their phone abused by spammers.
You said it quite well, I’m not obligated to answer the phone. I have my phone for my use, not random spammers to interrupt my life and waste my time .
Remember the days before we had answering machines? we’d leave the house and interact with people right there in front of us rather than use a phone. Maybe those days were more enjoyable because we did not have a telephone with us all the time or access to the internet all the time.
As far as answering the phone, if you’re not on my contact list or your name doesn’t pop up, then your call is going to voicemail and I may or may not call you back. No fear is involved in this at all.
If your call is important, you’ll leave a voicemail.
And no one does.
Who knew, 20 years ago, that voice phone calls would be a dead end?
My feelings exactly, guys.
Re: Collecting Data
The government are very keenly on amassing statistics. They collect them, add them, raise them to the Nth power, take the cube root and prepare wonderful diagrams. But you must never forget that every one of those figures comes in the first instance from the village watchman who puts down what he damm pleases.
Sir Josiah Stamp, Commissioner of Inland Revenue 1896-1919.
The area code on my cell phone is from the part of the state where I used to live. For the longest time I was getting spam calls and the numbers with my old area code which appeared on my screen were private numbers, not the source of the spam. What became a minor problem was that my phone number was used for spam calls and every once in a while some elderly gentleman would call me, telling me that he saw he had missed a call from me and wanted to know what i wanted. Old guy must have called me 3 or 4 times and I would try to explain what was going on but he never really got it.
I’m with you. Voice telephony is 18th-Century tech, and (if you choose to answer) is a high-priority interrupt. We have email and SMS now. And on the rare occasions when a voice call is welcome or necessary, we also have voicemail.