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1 in 8 Take Fake Phone Calls to Avoid Talking to Others

Posted by samzenpus on from the quiet-please-I'm-pretending-to-have-a-conversation dept.

A survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that people are lying 13% of the time when they say they have to take a cell phone call around you. That number jumps to an inconsiderate 30% in the 18- to 29-year-old age group. The survey also found that 42% of the 18-to-29 group "have had trouble doing something because they did not have their phone nearby." More than a quarter of survey respondents...sorry, I have to take this call.

3 of 160 comments (clear)

  1. I have never done this.... by mat+catastrophe · · Score: 3, Interesting

    but I have made certain that someone would call me at a certain time in order to extricate me from a situation.

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  2. Re:I don't believe it... by DigiTechGuy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I see this crap all the time and find it tremendously disrespectful. I fall in that 18-29 age group, though at the upper end. I have a few friends at the lower end of that spectrum and they're worse than my older friends. I generally don't call those younger "kids" very often. Why would I want to invite someone to be a guest in my home who is going to eat my food, drink my beer, and ignore me? Then when they can tell you're getting irritated, typically after you point it out at face value several times, they might engage in conversation for a minute or two. Though when they do, you can tell they're not really involved in the conversation, but just waiting to talk. I don't need those types of people in my life. They're always looking for the next big party or next best thing instead of enjoying the company they're with.

    So that being said, it's no surprise 3 of my best friends are in their 50s, and a couple others in their 30s and 40s. I'm by far the youngest in my normal social circle.

  3. Re:We have a system at work like this by Grishnakh · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Interesting comment from an anonymous coward.

    Anyway, telling people at your workplace to "fuck off" will likely lead to a talk with your boss or HR, disciplinary action, or termination. Workplaces don't like employees who "aren't good team players". Of course, they never do anything about the obnoxious loudmouth who keeps interrupting people who are doing real work so he can make himself look important.

    I'd say the fake phone call is a good workaround for this problem.