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How Cell Phone Etiquette Differs Across the World

Cell-Phone-Etiquette

Cell phones have been around for a long time. There are some countries that are yet to have a widespread presence of cell phones but those are the rare underdeveloped countries or the intensely conservative ones. Most developed countries have cell phone coverage throughout their geographic area, barring a few blind spots, and most developing countries have cell phones even in areas where there is a shortage of power.

Country and Culture

Every country has a unique culture. Some neighboring countries have similar cultures, especially if they have a shared or common history. It is only obvious that cell phone etiquette will vary from one country to another. The etiquette will depend on the culture, social fabrics, economy and the nature of the people living in the country. Cell phone etiquette is essentially an extension of how the people are in real lives and how they mingle socially or with one another and thus it is a reflection of the society, culture and the people.

Americans typically don’t speak on the phone for hours, unless you consider the teenagers speaking with their best friends or their first crushes. Americans are among the most evolved in cell phone etiquette. It is expected that people will have their phones turned silent at public places or switched off as and when instructed in some specific places such as a church or theater. This is in sharp contrast with India where loud ringtones are common and people speaking loudly in public places are also typical. In America, it is expected for people to not call after nine or nine thirty unless it is an emergency or it is a very personal call to someone special. In contrast, it is perfectly acceptable to call after ten or even after eleven in India. In a similar fashion, China is distinctly different from Spain and Japan is distinctly different from Russia. Each country has its unique cell phone etiquette, for better or for worse for the citizen of another country.

There are very few similarities in cell phone etiquette around the world barring the customary greetings at the beginning and at the end. From different kinds of intonation to how many times one should allow the phone to ring before hanging up or calling up again, from the use of texts to using answering machine or voicemail, from when one would answer depending on the place one is in to when one would call back as a courtesy, every aspect of cell phone etiquette varies across the world.

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