My phone rang.
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My phone rang. I looked over and, as usual, it was an unknown caller, so I didn't answer it.
It crosses my mind that in the 70s and 80s, you always answered the phone if you could. Fraudulent and spam calls were a concern, but a minor one. We usually just assumed if someone was calling, we should answer, because it was a friend, or something important.
TV shows would show someone not answering the phone as an indication they were in some sort of crisis.
Now, most communication is assumed threatening by default.
The long and short of it is that the tech industry has made fear of contact the social norm.
I have to answer my phone, so I've learned to answer every phone call with a very simple "'lo?"
It confuses robodialers, and doesn't give voice copiers enough data to work with.
It confuses genuine callers, too, but they usually respond with a proper "Hello??" and I can take it from there.
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My phone rang. I looked over and, as usual, it was an unknown caller, so I didn't answer it.
It crosses my mind that in the 70s and 80s, you always answered the phone if you could. Fraudulent and spam calls were a concern, but a minor one. We usually just assumed if someone was calling, we should answer, because it was a friend, or something important.
TV shows would show someone not answering the phone as an indication they were in some sort of crisis.
Now, most communication is assumed threatening by default.
The long and short of it is that the tech industry has made fear of contact the social norm.
@foolishowl I grew up in a rural area at a later time and this is exactly what we would do. If the phone rang we would answer it. We even had a large bell (classroom style
) that would ring loud enough for us to hear it from across the farm ! We would even run to try to pick it up before the last ring. (Our rescued pet crow even learned to say “telephone” because we shouted it so frequently 
).
It really is a shame it has come down to this, no one picking up ‘cause of robocalls & scams. -
@foolishowl I think answering machines started the call screening, and auto dialers started the avoidance of calls. It's been a machine battle between screeners and scammers ever since.
@darwinwoodka @foolishowl
Agreed and will add that the practically-zero cost of making calls removed a major barrier. Now they can afford a million calls to find a diamond in the rough that succumbs to their scam. -
My phone rang. I looked over and, as usual, it was an unknown caller, so I didn't answer it.
It crosses my mind that in the 70s and 80s, you always answered the phone if you could. Fraudulent and spam calls were a concern, but a minor one. We usually just assumed if someone was calling, we should answer, because it was a friend, or something important.
TV shows would show someone not answering the phone as an indication they were in some sort of crisis.
Now, most communication is assumed threatening by default.
The long and short of it is that the tech industry has made fear of contact the social norm.
@foolishowl I don't have a SIM card so nobody's really gonna call me, even if they wanted. I mean my family never calls me, I haven't had friends in more than half a decade, plus it drains my phone's battery cos there's no signal whenever I'm in my room for some reason so yeah. There's just no point.
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My phone rang. I looked over and, as usual, it was an unknown caller, so I didn't answer it.
It crosses my mind that in the 70s and 80s, you always answered the phone if you could. Fraudulent and spam calls were a concern, but a minor one. We usually just assumed if someone was calling, we should answer, because it was a friend, or something important.
TV shows would show someone not answering the phone as an indication they were in some sort of crisis.
Now, most communication is assumed threatening by default.
The long and short of it is that the tech industry has made fear of contact the social norm.
@foolishowl
Yep, I remember we litteraly rushed to the phone when it rang, especially when we did not have an answering machine or even caller ID
O tempora, o mores
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My phone rang. I looked over and, as usual, it was an unknown caller, so I didn't answer it.
It crosses my mind that in the 70s and 80s, you always answered the phone if you could. Fraudulent and spam calls were a concern, but a minor one. We usually just assumed if someone was calling, we should answer, because it was a friend, or something important.
TV shows would show someone not answering the phone as an indication they were in some sort of crisis.
Now, most communication is assumed threatening by default.
The long and short of it is that the tech industry has made fear of contact the social norm.
@foolishowl As someone who strongly dislikes making or receiving 90+% of phone calls, the “don’t answer the unknown number” trend has been great. I no longer get the “I tried to call but you didn’t pick up”. If it’s important, the caller will leave a voicemail. Wish we had this many decades ago. (I sometimes don’t even answer known numbers, but let it go to voicemail, depending).
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My phone rang. I looked over and, as usual, it was an unknown caller, so I didn't answer it.
It crosses my mind that in the 70s and 80s, you always answered the phone if you could. Fraudulent and spam calls were a concern, but a minor one. We usually just assumed if someone was calling, we should answer, because it was a friend, or something important.
TV shows would show someone not answering the phone as an indication they were in some sort of crisis.
Now, most communication is assumed threatening by default.
The long and short of it is that the tech industry has made fear of contact the social norm.
That reminds me, I was going to get a 1-900 number...
Family can always voice call me on Signal. Everyone else? $12.99/min for the first 5 minutes, $8.99 after that.
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My phone rang. I looked over and, as usual, it was an unknown caller, so I didn't answer it.
It crosses my mind that in the 70s and 80s, you always answered the phone if you could. Fraudulent and spam calls were a concern, but a minor one. We usually just assumed if someone was calling, we should answer, because it was a friend, or something important.
TV shows would show someone not answering the phone as an indication they were in some sort of crisis.
Now, most communication is assumed threatening by default.
The long and short of it is that the tech industry has made fear of contact the social norm.
@foolishowl Recently I had an elderly visitor. Her mobile phone rang. Unknown caller. She didn't take it. A few minutes later, it rang again.
I coerced her to take it. "Bit it could be criminals!", she said. "So what are they going to do to you over the phone?", I asked. Reluctantly, she took the call.
It was the police, offering her that she can move her illegally parked car right now or pay for a tow.
Picking up that call saved her hundreds of dollars.
I guess you win some, you lose some.
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@foolishowl Recently I had an elderly visitor. Her mobile phone rang. Unknown caller. She didn't take it. A few minutes later, it rang again.
I coerced her to take it. "Bit it could be criminals!", she said. "So what are they going to do to you over the phone?", I asked. Reluctantly, she took the call.
It was the police, offering her that she can move her illegally parked car right now or pay for a tow.
Picking up that call saved her hundreds of dollars.
I guess you win some, you lose some.
So what are they going to do to you over the phone?
Do you have any idea how many people get scammed over the phone?
How many elderly people? -
My phone rang. I looked over and, as usual, it was an unknown caller, so I didn't answer it.
It crosses my mind that in the 70s and 80s, you always answered the phone if you could. Fraudulent and spam calls were a concern, but a minor one. We usually just assumed if someone was calling, we should answer, because it was a friend, or something important.
TV shows would show someone not answering the phone as an indication they were in some sort of crisis.
Now, most communication is assumed threatening by default.
The long and short of it is that the tech industry has made fear of contact the social norm.
@foolishowl "there are only two industries left in america: gambling and fraud"
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My phone rang. I looked over and, as usual, it was an unknown caller, so I didn't answer it.
It crosses my mind that in the 70s and 80s, you always answered the phone if you could. Fraudulent and spam calls were a concern, but a minor one. We usually just assumed if someone was calling, we should answer, because it was a friend, or something important.
TV shows would show someone not answering the phone as an indication they were in some sort of crisis.
Now, most communication is assumed threatening by default.
The long and short of it is that the tech industry has made fear of contact the social norm.
@foolishowl If you had an answering machine, you'd let it go to machine unless you were expecting a call.
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My phone rang. I looked over and, as usual, it was an unknown caller, so I didn't answer it.
It crosses my mind that in the 70s and 80s, you always answered the phone if you could. Fraudulent and spam calls were a concern, but a minor one. We usually just assumed if someone was calling, we should answer, because it was a friend, or something important.
TV shows would show someone not answering the phone as an indication they were in some sort of crisis.
Now, most communication is assumed threatening by default.
The long and short of it is that the tech industry has made fear of contact the social norm.
@foolishowl colonialism does this to every communication medium. Anew way to communicate is introduced, intimacy is exchanged, intimacy is extracted, the communication medium is considered adversarial. Happened with snail mail (was exciting before but now only spam & bills expected), email, phonecalls, & happening more with texts now even. AI bakes in the adversary is the reason people don't trust it from the jump, unlike the others.
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So what are they going to do to you over the phone?
Do you have any idea how many people get scammed over the phone?
How many elderly people?@cy Yes, I do.
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@foolishowl If you had an answering machine, you'd let it go to machine unless you were expecting a call.
@pussreboots @foolishowl Somewhere I have an answering machine tape of my cat having a nice wash on top of the answering machine. I've no idea how she managed to trigger it--but coming home to a 30-minute recording of a cat washing herself was really a technological highlight for me.
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Years ago as phones were expensive but shrinking, I was selling & designing product, as an exec role all my fellow salesmen wanted phones on the go! My take was NO the bosses will know where you are all the time, contactable even when taking a break!
They laughed at me!
Sad gits! They or their successors now live connected 24-7!
Son in law works for yank firm! even on holiday he's working, fending sales calls!! -
My phone rang. I looked over and, as usual, it was an unknown caller, so I didn't answer it.
It crosses my mind that in the 70s and 80s, you always answered the phone if you could. Fraudulent and spam calls were a concern, but a minor one. We usually just assumed if someone was calling, we should answer, because it was a friend, or something important.
TV shows would show someone not answering the phone as an indication they were in some sort of crisis.
Now, most communication is assumed threatening by default.
The long and short of it is that the tech industry has made fear of contact the social norm.
@foolishowl@social.coop I haven't had a landline in twenty-five years. I forgot what it was like to get jumpscared by a phone ringing eighteen times a day in the cold call dark ages.
'Do not call' is the original 'maybe later'. -
@foolishowl I've always been split about unknown numbers. I used to have one. I didn't like that companies I called stored my number without my permission and then sent back sales calls. But then my friends would never know it was me calling, and wouldn't always pick up.
The telephone service as always been just awfully designed from the very start. How is it that we still can't simply block calls? No unknown numbers allowed, just block calls. Or better yet, implement a whitelist.
@bit @foolishowl cellphones can do most of that now. My phone won’t ring for numbers that aren’t in my contacts - those calls go straight to voicemail. And if the caller blocks me from seeing their number, they don’t get to leave a message. It would be better to have the phone companies provide that service, but I doubt a new phone company that did could be viable
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My phone rang. I looked over and, as usual, it was an unknown caller, so I didn't answer it.
It crosses my mind that in the 70s and 80s, you always answered the phone if you could. Fraudulent and spam calls were a concern, but a minor one. We usually just assumed if someone was calling, we should answer, because it was a friend, or something important.
TV shows would show someone not answering the phone as an indication they were in some sort of crisis.
Now, most communication is assumed threatening by default.
The long and short of it is that the tech industry has made fear of contact the social norm.
Nowadays...
Crime scales. Criminals can automate contact with people, and easily do it to people in almost any country.
Email and the Web aren't a refuge. The tech culture that promoted easy-to-use trust tools has collapsed; can-do has been replaced with cynicism.
You are right to think we are in a bad place with trustworthy communication. I remember those days when phone calls were generally valid.
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My phone rang. I looked over and, as usual, it was an unknown caller, so I didn't answer it.
It crosses my mind that in the 70s and 80s, you always answered the phone if you could. Fraudulent and spam calls were a concern, but a minor one. We usually just assumed if someone was calling, we should answer, because it was a friend, or something important.
TV shows would show someone not answering the phone as an indication they were in some sort of crisis.
Now, most communication is assumed threatening by default.
The long and short of it is that the tech industry has made fear of contact the social norm.
@foolishowl the media has been pumping fear into your home for decades.
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@pussreboots @foolishowl Somewhere I have an answering machine tape of my cat having a nice wash on top of the answering machine. I've no idea how she managed to trigger it--but coming home to a 30-minute recording of a cat washing herself was really a technological highlight for me.
@LPerry2 @foolishowl I love that.
