YOU KNOW who you are. You're that guy who interrupted me during my nap in psychology. Or you're that girl who rudely bumped into me while strolling down the Lawn. Yes, you know who you are, and you've just signed another 6- month agreement with Sprint so you can expand your digital calling area. You're a cell phone user.
Things aren't the way they used to be. Back in the day, all people had to do was wear their Abercrombie or J.Crew as status symbols, but now it seems like you're a nobody without your cell phone. You cell phone users have taken elitism to the next level by trotting with it wherever you go, making sure everyone sees as you casually stroll by.
I bet you like the way people look at you when they see you talking extra loud in the Pav to that special someone. Or when you receive a call during class and pretend that you thought the phone was off. I know what you really want -- I'm onto your game. You want everyone to see your precious telephone so they know that you have one and they don't.
I still can't understand why people have their phones on and keep them visible during class. Every time I see you check your caller ID, I cringe. Whenever I hear a book bag ring, I'm angered. Not only is it inconsiderate to other students when your cell phone rings in class, but also to the professors. Students and professors lose their concentration whenever book bags start ringing, and everyone suffers because of it.
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Studying in Clemons also has been made more difficult because of cell phones. Receiving calls -- and deciding to have a conversation -- on the quiet floor disturbs everyone on that floor. Students constantly are distracted and are unable to focus in the library because of people who think they are too important to wait to take a call.
People stopped using cell phones for real reasons long ago. Most people probably don't even realize their phones can dial 911. Before AT&T offered its 12-state digital roaming access plan, people used to treasure each and every cell phone minute. But now minutes are given away as freely as admission letters to Virginia Tech.
All this cell-talk means that real conversations are becoming a rarity. Actual conversations have been replaced by cell phone chit-chat, and all of us are losing out because of it. The only way to bring back normal interaction is to turn off your cell phones and place them comfortably into your North Face backpacks.
I must admit, the one good thing about the surge of cell phone usage is that the courtesy phones in Clemons are free more often. This means fewer people in line, which help the cell phone impaired communicate with the outside world more easily. Unfortunately, this is one of only a few benefits of living in a cellular world. I would much rather suffer through a long courtesy phone line than listen to the incessant ring of a new Nokia on the supposedly quiet floor.
"I'm never home," or "I'm so busy," you may say. I've heard your excuses, and they don't impress me. The real reason for your overzealous use of that new color-coordinated, voice-activated phone is so that people will see you. You want people to see you screaming at the phone because you're mad it isn't in a digital service area. You want them to notice you flipping through the 200-number memory speed dial in your Discussion section. You're in it for the looks.
Instead of using your cell phone for the status, you should focus that energy on meeting the people around you. If you get to know the people you're trying to impress, you'll make a much greater impression on them than just annoying them with your phone. Maybe you'll make some new friends. Rather than your cell phone waking me up in class, you should be waking me up to introduce yourself. It's great to have friends around you with whom you can talk -- besides, you should save every cell phone minute for important stuff. Save your 1,000 weekday minutes for emergencies.
(Andrew Borchini is a Cavalier Daily viewpoint writer.)
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