David,
You pose some interesting theories but I think the issue is based on two
things:
1.  People talking on phones generally speak much louder than if they were
having a conversation with someone sitting next them;
2.  People talking on phones seem to be unaware of the topics they are
discussing and really not conscious that others are listening.

Yes, there are times that two or more people will have a very heated
"private" discussion in a public venue - and that is considered quite rude.

In regards to discussing private issues in public I remember in my early
days in sales.  I called clients and my office throughout the day from pay
phones - wherever I could find them.  One of my colleagues heard a
competitor on the next phone telling his office about the big proposal he
had just delivered to a specific client.  My colleague immediately called
the client (she knew them quite well) and was able to get the order:)

When I grew up we were reminded that "Your freedom ends where my nose
begins".  That applies to audible intrusions as well.

We all lose our cool/manners at times, and we need to be reminded that we
are being rude to others.  The issue with the electronic media is that we
lose contact with our physical environment when we are engrossed in a phone
conversation, email thread etc.  That is precisely why talking on a cell
phone, texting etc is not legal while driving in many states - it is
essentially distracting the person on the phone from paying attention to
the road and traffic.

The problem is not with those within earshot, but with the person creating
the disturbance.
Thanks,
Mary
Mary W. Haider, MBA, CRM
Records & Information Manager and Consultant
[log in to unmask]
865-983-1371
On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 10:32 AM, David T. Macknet <[log in to unmask]>wrote:

>  I wonder, How is it different for someone to be having a conversation via
> their mobile phone than someone having a conversation with someone
> physically present next to you?  We wouldn't necessarily feel the need to
> interrupt someone holding a conversation with someone physically present,
> nor would we comment upon that conversation, nor would we give them dirty
> looks for talking.  So something here seems to be different.  Is it that
> we can't hear both sides of the conversation that makes us think that the
> conversation should be entirely private?
>
>  I wonder, though, why using an electronic device is viewed as different
> than writing on paper.  How many people doodle in the margins while
> "listening" to a presentation?  Is it because the electronic content is
> somehow interactive, or because it's potentially connected to others, that
> we find it offensive?
>
>  There's a commonality in these dislikes: the individual with the device is
> connected with another individual who is not physically present and is
> inaccessible to those around the individual with the device.
>
>  I suspect that we're feeling left out of the conversation - that the
> individual with the device is less present because they're interacting with
> someone outside of our immediate access.  I also suspect that we recognize
> that there's a difference between physical presence and mental attention,
> in the case of the use of electronic devices during a presentation, but
> that this is perhaps a special case of feeling left out rather than it
> being a different phenomenon.
>
>  -D
>
>  On Wed 16/05/12 3:17 PM , Anne Pfeffer [log in to unmask] sent:
>
>  Or, since we are taking about the lack of courtesy and manners, join in
>  their phone conversation by providing comments and opinion on what you
>  hear.
>
>  Regards,
>
>  Anne T. Pfeffer
>  Manager, Corporate Records
>
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-- 





-- 
Mary

Mary W. Haider, MBA, CRM
Records & Information Manager and Consultant
[log in to unmask]
865-983-1371

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