Meeting Hang Up

Much of the use of cellular phones at APA’s 2002 annual meeting in Philadelphia was clearly unacceptable. I do not recall a single event I attended where an audible cellular phone did not ring. And in several of these situations, the people called actually had the audacity to answer their phones in earshot of others in the room. Some people left the room to take their calls, but the volume of their voices ensured that they were still heard from the lobbies where they continued their conversations.

Quite simply, we must create and enforce appropriate social norms for cellular phones. While psychiatry supports empathy, the behavior that I endured at the meeting due to phones was anything but.

Cellular phones must be silenced in public forums. Please understand that I write this as a person who rarely goes without his phone, but I put it in vibrating mode when I am in public. If it buzzes, I decide whether I am in a position to answer and hold a conversation while not intruding on others. My caller ID generally identifies callers, and any unanswered calls go to voicemail for later response.

There should be zero tolerance at meetings for audible phone use in lecture halls, in much the same manner as we treat tobacco. Meeting registrants should be forewarned, in writing, about the standards for public behavior, which will lead to group norms being created and enforced by others via peer pressure. Those who believe that their immediate availability is critical might consider staying home.

As a microcosm of society, we are trying to figure out acceptable cellular phone use in much the same way as theaters and concert halls are struggling to address the issue. Apparently common sense and courtesy are not prevailing, so a bit of guidance and help is in order.