Don't Hate the Phone Call, Hate the Phone (And the Network)

Ever screamed at your phone, or wanted to, when it can't handle the basic job of linking you to another person by voice? antdude writes to say that The Atlantic has posted a long article titled "Don't Hate the Phone Call, Hate the Phone" about how our telephone habits have changed, but so have the infrastructure and design of the handset. A snippet: When you combine the seemingly haphazard reliability of a voice call with the sense of urgency or gravity that would recommend a phone call instead of a Slack DM or an email, the risk of failure amplifies the anxiety of unfamiliarity. Telephone calls now exude untrustworthiness from their very infrastructure. Going deeper than dropped connections, telephony suffered from audio-signal processing compromises long before cellular service came along, but the differences between mobile and landline phone usage amplifies those challenges, as well.

Comments

Re:blame the caller.

[Anonymous Coward]

Better option than that rant: use the right tool for the job!

Single quick question? text it.

Long data dump? email it.

Sequence of questions that will probably need additional clarification? call.

Need to REALLY get across the level of rage you feel at [worthless local monopoly ISP]? call, explain to the helpless impotent call center slave that your gripe is with someone else (in that fun tone of "if you slow me down at all, you'll be getting a shouting also"), let the bad call waiting music choice fuel your anger, get to someone with at least a shred of influence, unleash your hatred, MAKE THEM FEAR YOU!