Is There a Need for Restriction on the Use of Mobile Phones in Public Areas - Essay Example

Should restriction be placed on the use of mobile (cell) phones in public areas like restaurants and theater? Why or why not? The use of mobile phones in public places like restaurants and theatres can be an inconvenience and nuisance to those who visit these places for recreation. I had a very annoying experience in a theatre recently, while I was watching an award-winning movie which I had been waiting eagerly to watch in the theatre. Since it was a movie for which sound and silence were used in an intriguing combination, total attention was required for proper appreciation. However, the excellent sound quality provided in the theatre and the ambience that matched it were recurrently spoilt by a couple of viewers, as they allowed their mobile phones to ring at high volume during highly inappropriate times. Moreover, they even answered those calls, without showing the least concern for those who were seriously watching the movie. I feel strongly that people like me who were disrupted from enjoying the movie by these unwelcome interruptions could only think about the mobile phone users as uncivilized people who were not supposed to be there in the first place. It is at these times that people wish that mobile phones were banned altogether. However, taking into account the fact that mobile phones have become an integral part of life these days, like water and air, one would have to compromise a bit, and think of effective restrictions on the use of mobile phones in public places. There could be innumerable reasons to support the view that mobile phones should be banned from the public places. First of all, one person’s need to communicate with her/his dear ones should not interfere with the peace of mind and enjoyment another person seeks in a well-reputed public place. If someone needs to be in touch with others through the mobile phone while at a public place, it would be a thoughtful act to keep the phone in silent mode and answer them by going out of the place, or by text messaging. Another reason why one should refrain from using the mobile phones in public places is that it would attract unnecessary attention to the one using it. The person using the phone would usually forget the surroundings and talk louder than necessary, forcing others to listen to her/his personal affairs. Some people just try to display how expensive their phone is and how many features it has by using them all at one place. I have even witnessed some teenagers who watch video clips in a theatre, with the volume set too high, while a movie for which they took an expensive ticket plays helplessly in front of them, in the big screen. Such behavior can be highly annoying to those who sit next them and have the right to watch the movie in silence. People often forget the basic purpose of mobile phones, which involves communication in times of need, and indulge in all the unnecessary features attached to it. There are some who indulge in testing the stock of ring tones they have, or playing all the songs they have stored in their phones, while they are at a restaurant. This could spoil a perfect evening for those who come to a restaurant to relax from the day-to-day toil and enjoy their food in the quietude, mild music and pleasant conversation. People may claim that it is impossible to live without mobile phones in these times. They may need to make the most of scientific and technological advancements which make life easier, smoother and faster. When there is a possibility to be in touch with one’s family and friends twenty-four hours a day, why should one try to live without it, they may ask. For them, it could be a sign of bigotry or intolerance to blame the fellow beings who just try to stay in touch with one another, wherever they are. The arguments against the use of mobile phones would be interpreted by these people as regressive. Moreover, they would stress that one could not predict whether something really important, or even tragic, has to be conveyed while one is in a public place, since incidents don’t wait for proper times. They may even accuse that their opponents are misfits in the society – either techno-phobic or jealous of people using the latest gadgets. The group of people who would support and argue for the use of mobile phones in public places may be mostly teenagers. Sometimes, parents too could join them, saying that they need to be in constant touch with their children, and know where they are, all through the day. For this, mobile phones are very convenient. The supporters of mobile phone use in all places will claim that it is a boon to the contemporary world which has to be fully utilized. Those who argue against the use of mobile phones would belong to the mature people who would probably fall into middle age and above group. They would perhaps find the obsession with mobile phones pretentious. The squandering of money related to the purchase of expensive phones and their reckless use in public places would annoy them. Those who could not cope with too much noise in public places would find the mobile phone users who speak loudly with no regard for others a perennial nuisance that follows them everywhere. They would say that these unnecessary noises distract them from whatever public activity they would like indulge in. They would even suggest that mobile phones be totally banned at public places. I would advice everyone to be aware of the uses and misuses of mobile phones. Even as it remains the fact that mobile phones are very useful for personal communication, one has to be concerned about the society in which one lives. It is very important to give other members of the society the freedom to enjoy life. Therefore, one has to respect the personal spaces in public spheres. It is highly improper to keep one’s mobile phone on with its volume set to the maximum, while one is at a restaurant, theatre, train or bus. One should keep it in silent mode, and if ever there is an emergency to use it in a public place, it has to be done discreetly. One should try to speak in a low volume, or move away from other people to talk on the phone, or use the text messaging service to make sure that no one is distracted from what they do. It may not be practical to ban the mobile phones, but if each individual takes care to use them judiciously, there will not arise any problem that makes others unhappy. The key point is in respecting other people’s rights. One should not use mobile phones as weapons to invade the private spaces of others. If one does that, mobile phones would become a monstrous gadget that is the most misused. One has to follow dinner room or concert hall etiquettes while using mobile phones in restaurants and theatres. If one’s need to communicate is significant, equally significant is someone else’s right to enjoy a meal, or a movie, for which s/he has paid a dear sum. If people could keep this in mind, I believe the restricted use of mobile phones in public places could be made effective. Read More