Comments on: Phone-Phobia: Why the Next Generation Won’t Pick-Up

By: Theis

Theis — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:27:12 +0000

I understand that you can avoid direct confrontations by doing everything over text, insted of talking. And that can ofcourse work for somebody, but it just doesnt work at all if you have a somewhat tight scheadule and need to communicate with other people. For the person at the other end, trying to reach you, it is frustrating, which often will result in alot of cons for you.
Often you use your network of people, to gain certain benefits. It can be everything from social relations(partys, trips to the movie or something else) to getting better offers on your insurance or a new tv. And if the person trying to reach you, always just find a dead end, they will often feel less encuraged to follow up on you the next time…

An short example from the real life: My farther should help one of my friends get a brand new car at a cheaper price, by using some of his connections. After he tryed to reach him for the 3. time on the phone, and he didnt pick up, he decided that my frind just could call back himself if he still was interrested. When he finally decided to call back 2hours later, the 3000$ cutoff was gone, and my dad did not want to use more energy at helping him.

Ofcourse this isnt a problem if EVERYBODY you know feel the same way, as you do. But in the long run, you are cutting your self off…

By: Cat

Cat — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:56:24 +0000

I hate to say but I’m not a teen but I can’t stand talking on the phone. Probably because I had a job where I was on the phone for 8 hours straight, but I find it boring. I want to get to whatever is being said and get off. Unfortunately I come from a family of phone whores and have friends who are similar. They think nothing of calling and wanting to be on the phone for hours. I can’t stand and tend to wonder around doing things. I pity if they found out that I watch TV, read, and listen to music while they gab on.

By: phonephobiacure

phonephobiacure — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 22:53:19 +0000

That was actually me at one point in life.just being afraid to talk on the phone because I thing I can make a mistake or say some thing I can not take back.But thanks to hypnosis I am doing great now.

By: sophi

sophi — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:26:17 +0000

omg i thought it was just me!!!!!! Q_Q

i’ve refused to give out my number to clients when i was doing free-lance web work… because i couldn’t remember any details from phone conversations… and they were stressful to be on. and e-mail leaves a written transcript i can check back against later.

i worked at a call center for a while and that’s totally what triggered my phone phobia… now i won’t call anybody. except for my partners. and usually just to do very specific things. like she’s at the store and is calling to ask me to check if we have milk.

also. google voice is AWESOME! if people call and leave a voice mail i get a transcript e-mailed to me so i can respond to what they’re asking.

what i find most frustrating is that with all the amazing ways we have to communicate with each other businesses are still using phones and faxes as the sole means of remote communication. though i’m being very demanding of the waste management people. i want to signup for service with them without having to use the phone. :3 i even linked them this article in my last e-mail to them.

By: Vanessa Van Petten

Vanessa Van Petten — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:19:29 +0000

I know right!

I wish it got better = )

Still screen calls like it is my job

Thanks for reading!
Vanessa

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:37:31 +0000

Oh my goodness… I thought it was just me.

Nothing seems to penetrate my brain on the phone. If people do insist on calling me (and by some miracle I answer the phone), I have to ask them to repeat everything in an email and send it to me. I hate, hate hate the phone, can’t stand it ringing, panic at the thought of having to call someone or answer a call. I LOVE email. With phone calls there is no record of anything! It will boil down to “I said, you said” in future – with email there is a record of what was agreed and when.

I also hate the thought of calling someone unannounced, it just seems so rude to me. For me it’s akin to bursting into someone’s office and demanding they talk to me even though they might be busy doing something else or just not feel like it at the time. So much more polite and efficient to send a quick text or email.

By: online games for kids

online games for kids — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:20:03 +0000

reading this article, i feel relieved somehow.. because i;m not the only one with the phone problem.
i’ve been thinking that there’s something wrong with me avoiding phonecalls. but now i’m trying to face my own phobia, starts by calling my friend instead of texting, and straight away answering any phonecalls without thinking too much. just answer! =)

By: Silver Fang

Silver Fang — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:32:11 +0000

I always tell people not to call me; text me instead.

By: Rick

Rick — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:41:45 +0000

I’ve run into this to an extent with my son. I eventually had to tell him when he saw my caller Id on his phone he better pick up. Let’s face it texting is easier, but it loses the personal touch. Thanks for posting I’d never really thought about this until I saw your article.