Phones: Love them or hate them?

[DrEast]

This has come up in a couple of threads, so now I seek more data.

As an INTJ, do you hate the heinous Telemaphone, obviously intended as a torture device but gone horribly wrong in our society? Or is it just a phone?

I'm really only interested in the opinions of INTJs for this, it being something of a poll from which to glean generalities about the type.

[merid]

A phone is a phone. However I don't like talking on them. It is a bit like myspace or facebook to me, I would prefer to talk face to face.

[notoppings]

I used to hate phones the shrill ring of the over demanding device until they allowed us to customize our ring tones now it's just a convenience.

[BlackHawk]

I hate phones. They just have to interrupt you with some obnoxious noise, and bring you out of flow just so some idiot can talk nonsense to you!

[punkyplatypus]

A seemingly necessary evil. I like phones for emergency situations and information. It's nice to get directions when I'm lost or to be able to call the cops if I get mugged. However I hate talking on the phone. Even in those situations, I'd be reluctant to use the phone. Things I absolutely hate about phones: small talk, lack of phone etiquette, answering machines, and rediculous fees.
Small talk is usually a waste of time which always leads to awkward silences. Then someone has to make something up, "I gotta go cause blah blah blah".
Then there's phone etiquette. People are usually multitasking while on the phone and they're not really paying attention, which means I'm probably gonna have to explain everything over again. Then there are times when they decide that what's on there side of the phone is more important than what I'm saying and I hear, "I'm gonna have to call you back **click**". No "goodbye" or "sorry" or "is it alright if I call you back later?" Have fun talking to my answering machine when you call back.
And the answeing machine, screw that thing. I have a hard enough time making myself talk to people, and now I have to talk to a machine. I find myself hanging up and calling back numerous times later until I get something that's alive on the other end or making & rehearsing a message to get my point across. I end up spending too much time preparing and rehearsing my message, so when I call back there's usually someone there to answer which throws me off and my mind goes blank. Or maybe the answering machine picks up and I leave the message. Then I start feeling paranoid about the message I left.
Then there are the fees phone companies tack on, especially with cell phones. I use my internet way more than phones, and it gives me way more services at a flat price. If I start using more services on my phone, like buying games/applications/music/ringtones or texting or instant messaging or internet, there are fees. Rediculous fees. Games like Pacman or Tetris cost $6.99. My phone only has polyphonic ringtones, and I'd have to pay for that crap. Text messages are something like $0.10 for a limited amount of text and $0.25 to add a picture. Then there's the monthly fees for phone service and extra fees for long distance or whatever. And when it makes me mad enough and I throw the phone, I have to go pay for a new phone and the provider is always pushing me to change or extend my existing plan.

[SmileyMan]

I hate a ringing phone.

[Motor Jax]

i don't like phones at all

but my home phone is the only way my g/f and i can really communicate right now (she's 10 hrs away)


my cell phone, however, is a convenience that is constantly abused by the people that have my number

in fact, that's why i made sure that i just got a pre-paid phone and i could ditch it any time i'm ready to

and they use up my minutes too

wtf?

there is no rest for the weary, i guess

but my plan is to have the voicemail turned off on my (c) phone anyways

[Zilal]

I hate phones, I hate when they ring, I hate having to talk on them, and I hate when other people talk on their cell phone in public. That about says it all.

[Aronnax]

I really dislike phones, they have all the sloppiness of verbal communication and eliminate visual feedback.

[azelismia]

order of preference

Email
phone
face to face

I have bad hearing so phone and face to face, leave me saying 'scuse me far more often than I like. I have everyone trained not to call if they can email including at work so the phone doesn't bother me all that much. it's only those people at work who call with something that would have been more sense to send in an email that irks me.

[Cuivienen]

This has come up in a couple of threads, so now I seek more data.

As an INTJ, do you hate the heinous Telemaphone, obviously intended as a torture device but gone horribly wrong in our society? Or is it just a phone?

I'm really only interested in the opinions of INTJs for this, it being something of a poll from which to glean generalities about the type.

I neither love it nor hate it, it has it`s uses and I don`t mind using it (as long as the person on the other end isn`t too annoying, but that wouldn`t be the phone`s fault ;)).

[thaddeus6th]

I loathe the Satanic telephonic communications device. There are numerous major design flaws:
1) it has to interrupt you, wake you up and generally annoy you
2) it is impossible to tell if you're being called by the Swedish Nymphomaniacs' Association who require your services as a lapdance judge or by a morbidly depressing relative
3) it should work for only 30 seconds at a time. This would allow the exchange of information without going on for hours, or the too common "I've got to go..." and then remaining for 20 minutes some people do

I especially hate calling other people. I like to be able to look someone in the eyes and see what they're thinking when I'm speaking with them. It's a bit like poker. In real life you can tell what someone's got seven times out of ten because they give it away, but online bluffing is far more difficult. You can't manufacture tells except for through typing.

Further, if the phone rings and you make the classic error of answering it, and it's an idiot you must speak with (typically a relative), you're trapped speaking to them until you can palm them off to someone else or make up a reason to hang up.

The telephone is a rude, crude instrument of communication that almost never needs to be used. For ease of convenience the e-mail is better. For a personal touch letters are superior. Only for vitally important matters should the phone be used.

[ethsar46]

I dont like using my phone too much. I prefer to do this face to face, but needless to say it is quite useful when you cant/dont want to do things in person or over long distances.

[ChfMojoRising]

Fairly strong hatred. I'd rather speak face to face (or over an A/V program) than a phone. IM'ing is ok too; not preferred, but better than a phone call.

[Victoria Silver]

I loathe talking on the phone. I have never owned a cell phone, and I never will. I barely tolerate the one I have in my house, and I leave the ringer off most of the time. (Thank goodness for the answering machine!) The worst part of my job is the constant interruption by phone calls, most of them trivial.

I absolutely cannot understand why there are people who LIKE to talk on the phone. Some folks here at work spend all their free time chatting with people on the phone. I would much rather do things on the computer, or write a real letter.

[Dystopia]

What I hate about mobile phones is not so much their practical problems, but the way people use them as a status symbol. Everyone feels as though they have to have one that watches films, takes pictures, plays mp3s, irons your shirts and plays the latest rap "music" as a "ringtone".

Does anyone remember that it's called "ringing" because once, in a time long long ago, phones actually used to ring a bell? Back in those days, telephones were a telecommunication device. Now, it's a way of showing which peacock has the most colourful feathers so that they can attract more mates.

Death to mobile-phone youth culture. Long live telephones.

[Firelie]

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[DrEast]

What I hate about mobile phones is not so much their practical problems, but the way people use them as a status symbol. Everyone feels as though they have to have one that watches films, takes pictures, plays mp3s, irons your shirts and plays the latest rap "music" as a "ringtone".

Does anyone remember that it's called "ringing" because once, in a time long long ago, phones actually used to ring a bell? Back in those days, telephones were a telecommunication device. Now, it's a way of showing which peacock has the most colourful feathers so that they can attract more mates.

Death to mobile-phone youth culture. Long live telephones.

"Now! Hey, listen! Now, my story begins in 19 dickety two. We had to say dickety 'cause that Kaiser had stolen our word twenty. I chased that rascal to get it back, but gave up after dickety six miles."





DrEast added to this post, 0 minutes and 52 seconds later...

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Yay! A wealth of information. Now I can say with confidence that INTJs hate phones, or are at best ambivalent.

[schwartzie]

"Now! Hey, listen! Now, my story begins in 19 dickety two. We had to say dickety 'cause that Kaiser had stolen our word twenty. I chased that rascal to get it back, but gave up after dickety six miles."
You are so funny, dude....

"
Yay! A wealth of information. Now I can say with confidence that INTJs hate phones, or are at best ambivalent.

Wait, wait! No, not completely ...

I rather like phones. Especially mobile phones, and esp. texting. Texting can be done surreptitiously....phone in pocket...on vibe...under desk chat...perfect.

I like being able to reach my near and dear ones when necessary, and for them to reach me, even in the car or walking down the street. Life would be harder without that access.

I even like my phone company, now that its been bludgeoned into submission, and is behaving decently.

Even more, I like my yahoo messenger voip phone, which costs almost nothing, so I feel good for being so very economical. ($20/year for inbound; $.01/min outbound.)

I like the second cell phone that I use as a doorbell (I live in this building where the doorbell is tied to your phone. I don't have a landline... just cell phones.

There is the cell phone number I use for a small side business. And the one I gave my brother for a time when we needed it for medical emergencies, and that I now use to have a number for people who demand a number, like the video rental place, but who will, I'm afraid, get voice mail. And last but not least, there is the prepaid jacked into the car for emergencies. Well, and, I suppose the DSL line for my PC is technically a phone line. And the skype on the wireless laptop. And the phone at work. And its second line. And that's all.

[malefide]

I don't really care about phones. Phones are tools. I don't use them for pleasure, I use them for other things. They can be very helpful, but I'm certainly not a recreational phone-talker.

[lagoon]

i refuse to have a land line put into my house. I get a free cell phone from work and if i didn't have that I'm really not sure if i would have a phone at all. I probably would just to appease my parents but i take enough calls at and from work that being constantly available to everyone at all times is a very unappealing concept.

[ceg6]

I hate the phone. Part of that is me and part of that is from doing tech support for years. I don't mind text/im/email as much but I get weary of that too.

[mental drift]

I like text. I can look at it at my convenience, answer it when I wish, and it's usually brief and to the point, almost would think an INTJ invented text. As far as talking on the phone, I generally despise it, except for communicating with the wife, It doesn't bother me at all to talk, maybe because I know her so well I know what facial expression she's making, I dunno.

[Lucan]

I hate all phones at work. There seems to be a mass of ignorant people out there and they irritate me. However I love my mobile as I use the calendar, phone and internet options alot. Very few people have my mobile number, I can also chose to answer a call or not on my mobile.(i love caller Id) I don't have that luxury at work.

[elsdfr]

*mobile phone rant*

I was recently handed a work phone with a $400 monthly cap. The Boss expected me to be excited when he said "use anymore than that and you have to pay for it". I replied with "well I don't think I've made that value of phone calls in my entire life". It was supposed to be funny but its probably true and he knows it, his weirdo detector was no doubt starting to beep again. :suspicious:

I also find them incredibly rude in public and annoying because I'll be doing something and have to stop and check it and then I've lost my concentration or forgotten what I was supposed to be doing and I have to start again. :p

You'd think it was a life support system the way some other people hang onto them and freak out when its broken or something.

[Caramel]

I love my smartphone. Not for calls, but for internet, texting, email, calender, video camera and for installing all sorts of programs (divx player, games) on it.

I have to travel around a lot, so a mobile minicomputer is a dream come true.

[Fuchikoma]

i like to be able to listen my music when moving, and to shut up the ones that told me that i needed a cellphone urgently, at the same time.

[celesul]

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I love one turned off in my pocket ^.^ That way I have it if I need it, but it can't interrupt me ^.~

[Reanne]

I am really annoyed by ringing phones!! The last person who's going to stand up and answer it is gonna be me. :p
But cellphones are rather handy, especially when i can store music in them!!!

[Vivid]

As an ISTJ, I despise phones. I don't own one, even though I need one. I've been avoiding getting one. They're noisy and demanding, like children and animals, which I'm not fond of either... They're also too complex. I like those jitterbug phones.
Once when I was especially angry at the telephone, I drew myself shooting it and yelling "CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?!"
My god, I hate unpredictable things in general... and noise... and the /ringing/. SHUT UP AND DIE, BLASTED MACHINE.
Who else here has screamed at a phone before, or flipped one off? Perhaps picked it up, then shouted and slammed it back down on the receiver? Although the problem with that is that they always call back. =/

[lordrrr]

I hate my cell phone and rarely bring it with me, I like the feel of being naked and not having my wallet or cell phone, or at the most just my wallet. Also, my cell phone sucks dick, it has a really crappy touch screen. Regular phones annoy me to.

[PRBori]

I LOVE my Cell Phone... and honestly it hardly ever rings... if I get a call once a day that would be nice... but is rather silent for I don't give it away to people other than some co-workers and a selected few who hardly ever call anyway...

For me the phone is...

- the main way to communicate with my love ones,
- the way to keep in touch with my networking budies
- the way to find my way out when I'm lost
- the way to view this site when I'm bored
- a handy multi-purpose gadget that certainly provides everything I need when I need it including FREE GPS through Google Maps where ever I go

That say, although I hardly ever use it... actually I have 3,600 min roll-over on it... that should tell you, I pay for 900/month so almost 3 months of no use for talking... but every other item... well let's say is important..

Being able to read my Word,Excel, PDF, PowerPoint files anytime, answer work related e-mails specially when looking for a job, filling out an application,saving my fav movies or music on my memory card, take pictures of my kids or anything of interest... I can't live without it, just as much as I can't live without a computer... for they go hand in hand with my day-to-day routine..

Not to mention, they serve as my alarm in the morning to go to work... where else can you find such a handy tool? I can't believe so many people here do not like them...

And best of ALL I have no HOME phone.. why do I need such? I'm hardly ever home.. home is what 5 hrs to sleep out of 24 a day... wow... I rather have something that I can use when traveling and that works wherever I am not matter how far I am from home...

OK..so maybe I'm the spoiled brat for I can have such a handy gadget.. but is nice when you do have it, for it can save you from many headaches...:p

Ohh.. forgot.. as a way of actually communicating with someone, I rather do it face-to-face but that's not possible all the time for me, I'll second e-mail and then phone.. so hopefully that will explain a little more...

[elsdfr]

I would like to add that I probably hate them because I have to carry it around and it only rings for something that is work related or someone I know wants something. No one ever calls me just to talk!! "help; intj getting in touch with feeling side... I now care what you think!!" :confused:

[Chisos]

From a work perspective--as long as I have someone to answer my phone, screen out the surprises, or identify the pertinent info and dispose of the chaff, and then pass the info along to me, I'm fine (I'm a business attorney, and when I have a great assistant--which is presently not the case--this system allows me to maintain some semblance of my sanity.).

I do not answer the phone at home. Never, ever.

I do not answer my cell phone unless it is a number that has been programmed into my phone with a name--and then, only if I want to speak to them.

I keep my cell phone on either silent, or vibrate.

The one thing that I do value--and which makes life so much easier--is using the phone to gather information at my pace, and saving me time. But I want it to be a one-way street. I do not want other's to be siphoning information from me, or using me for their ends, or wasting my time through my phone.

I detest the interruption of a phone--including the ringing of other people's phones (but I would rather hear their phone ringing than mine!).

If you need further information, please call me--but I won't answer.

Gee, I did not realize I felt so strongly about phones. I better mention this to my therapist.





Chisos added to this post, 7 minutes and 22 seconds later...

As an ISTJ, I despise phones. I don't own one, even though I need one. I've been avoiding getting one. They're noisy and demanding, like children and animals, which I'm not fond of either... They're also too complex. I like those jitterbug phones.
Once when I was especially angry at the telephone, I drew myself shooting it and yelling "CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?!"
My god, I hate unpredictable things in general... and noise... and the /ringing/. SHUT UP AND DIE, BLASTED MACHINE.
Who else here has screamed at a phone before, or flipped one off? Perhaps picked it up, then shouted and slammed it back down on the receiver? Although the problem with that is that they always call back. =/

Try throwiing your cell phone at our windshield while driving down the freeway. It is a great release.

It also cracks the windshield, and sprays parts of the phone all over my Suburban.

And that old style Nokia phone, once reassembled, still worked.

Since then, I've learned pranayama, and keep my s@#$ together a bit better.

But I still hate the surprises, interruptions, noises, etc.