Zombie Etiquette

This scene immediately invoked a thought of the zombie like manner we have chosen as the primary mode of ‘killing time.’ Considering that mobile phoneuse seems to be the opiate of the masses, here are a few tips to manage the ‘zombification’ – at least in public spaces where other persons may wish to engage in their own activities in peace.

Ensure whilst in public spaces that your ring tone is placed on vibrate, or silent. Vibrate is more understandable, as you would not want to miss anything should you leave the tone at silent, however it is always an option.

I remember sitting in an International airport lounge in the still of the night, awaiting a midnight flight, with many passengers either asleep or nearing slumber, when one of the persons in my travelling party’s mobile started blasting ‘Just hold them and wuk them!’. This went on for all of one minute as the scrambling person fought a losing battle in attempting to silence the phone that seemed intent on ‘jammin’ still’. Everyone got up and stared angrily as they were not impressed. The point remains, have some measure of respect for the public space, time and location.

Whilst some of the most entertaining pieces can be gained in the loud public discourse of some persons, being mindful of your surroundings is always useful. This suggests that not everyone may be interested in hearing your conversations with whosoever may be on the other end of the line. As such, if you can, remove yourself from the general population to engage in your conversation. If you are unable to move, then simply lower the volume on your voice, to ensure your conversation remains private and does not intrude on the others who may be in earshot.

We have all been engaged in meetings or at events where we receive calls whilst the meeting or event is ongoing. Many times, you may find yourself simply answering whilst gently dipping your head and voice so as not to disturb the proceedings. Though this attempt is commendable, it may be the better bet to excuse yourself completely and accept the incoming call outside of the meeting, as you many also notice, regardless of how much you dip your head and lower your voice, you will still be on the receiving end of stares of disapproval. So, just excuse yourself and accept your call.

Whilst it is completely your personal call on how you choose to pass your time, it may be useful to attempt to exercise more control over the management of your use of these devices. A quick glance at a few journals, provide several potential negative impacts on excessive use of mobile phones including headaches, migraines, potential for nerve damage, occipital neuralgia, retinal damage are but a few physiological outcomes.

According to the medical daily the incessant touching of your phone can harbour germs on your handset. The greasy, oily residue you may see on your cell phone after a day’s use can contain more disease-prone germs than those found on a toilet seat. In a study conducted at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary, University of London, researchers sampled 390 cell phones and hands to measure for levels of bacteria. The results of the study showed that 92 percent of the cell phones sampled had bacteria on them — 82 percent of hands had bacteria — and 16 percent of cell phones and hands had E coli.

(www.medicaldaily.com).