PEOPLE FEEL AMBUSHED BY PHONE CALLS
I head up the journalism school at Murdoch University. In few other fields of study is the ability to make timely, effective phone calls so critical for success.
To explore young people’s attitudes to phone use further, I carried out an informal survey of 15 students.
Presenting their responses at last year’s Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia conference, I suggested that “telephobia” may be causing the loss of a key communication skill in younger generations.
Among my students, many said they find it rude to receive voice calls out of the blue or without warning.
Some even said that they will not answer voice calls at all, even from a parent. It was easier to let them divert to voicemail, and respond later via text.
Getting a phone call from an unknown number can be even more nail-biting – why is this person calling instead of sending a text? Many said such cold calls trigger a deep fear that something is wrong.
Going on to find out there actually was no emergency made many feel ambushed – and annoyed – that a cold caller had caused unnecessary alarm.
