It’s time to take a rest from the exciting life and adventures of mechanical insulation and take a look at a pet peeve of mine – the etiquette (or lack there of) of cellphone usage.

I can recall a time in my early sales career (children, shield thine eyes) when there was no such thing as a cellular phone. Shocking! A road trip required numerous stops in each town to find an available phone booth and a fistful of dimes ensured you could retrieve your messages. Times were possibly slower and clients were usually satisfied with your attention to their messages and requests. More business was done face-to-face. Granted, this arrangement was not always the best, and I can certainly recall some cold and blustery times waiting for my messages in some telephone booth in the middle of January.

Let’s look at how we’ve progressed (?) to the insanity of the 21st century where we expect and receive instant answers to our messages at all hours of the day and night:

In the mid-80s came first-generation mobile phones, which were large, unwieldy units designed for permanent installation in vehicles. I had my first stationary phone in 1986 and not only was this an immediate state-of-the-art status symbol, but also a definite improvement over the phone booth. The signals were very limited, however, so a good salesperson still needed a few rolls of dimes when out in the boonies.

The second generation of smaller phones came along in the early and mid-90s, and soon after the proliferation began. The third generation (known as 3G) took hold in 2001 with commercialization in Japan, South Korea, and the US.

A tool that was initially designed for the business world was now relatively low cost and readily available to housewives, students, and even children. Now nearly everyone has a cellphone, and the associated freedom of expression and mobility, which should be assisting us in effectively utilizing our free time, has developed into a chaotic addiction with users talking and texting incessantly often into the wee hours of the night. Does being available all the time truly make you more productive, or does it just spread the productivity thinner over more time?

The modern cellphone has changed the operating habits of the businessperson perhaps more so than any other technology. Yesterday’s laissez-faire attitude to messaging and communication has developed into an in-your-face, instant-answer-required, gratification-now world. A quick check around any restaurant will show a good number of people yakking, texting, and subsequently ignoring their guests. Loud, bizarre ringtones and boisterous one-way “digital flatulence” give me instant indigestion.

People prove daily they cannot successfully operate equipment and a cellphone simultaneously. My company frowns on the use of cellphones while driving and has officially requested that our outside sales team end this practice. Many jurisdictions have already legislated against the use of DWY (Driving While Yapping), and it’s only a matter of time before it’s outlawed everywhere. I have literally been driven off the road by young cellphone users ignoring the primary rules of the road while their mind is elsewhere, and texting while driving, the latest multitasking insanity, really stretches the limits of most users.

Karl Marx dreamed of a classless society. Thanks to the proliferation of cellphones, we are that much closer to a society with no class. Have you seen the “slick” sporting two phones off of his hip or the office worker wandering around the office with dozens of land lines available while expounding loudly on some inane topic on his cellphone? A recent introduction of a new phone technology in Vancouver had young people lining up overnight to get to the limited supply. One interviewee was almost crying because she had been “phoneless” for nearly a week in anticipation of the “new and improved” model and she likened the feeling to the loss of an appendage. (Some people in the world don’t even have a bed!) Don’t get me started about phones ringing in theatres, libraries, gyms, grocery store line-ups, or public washrooms. I’ve even heard of a mother of a bride caught text messaging in the middle of the wedding ceremony. Most phones have a vibrating function and are tied to an answering service. Use either function and excuse yourself at least ten metres away from others if you must respond immediately.Also, don’t allow an incoming phone call to interrupt the existing one. This is very insensitive to the original caller.

I’m concerned about the potential phone etiquette habits of the next generation of business people. I’m not very encouraged with what I’ve seen so far. For some reason, the face-to-face customer always seems to be secondary to the prospective one on the phone. Professional business people should be setting the example for the younger people in our society. It’s not the fault of the technology and its myriad of benefits; it’s simply the bad manners of users. Technological change leads to social change, but there’s always a lag. Sometimes I would almost welcome back the cold, January, phone booth days.

Garth Liseth has been actively involved in the mechanical insulation field since 1973 and is a past president of the Thermal Insulation Association of Canada. Garth is employed by Crossroads C&I Distributors in its Burnaby, BC office.