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.
@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.
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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@social.coop the moment texting became widely available, people almost entirely abandoned unsolicited phone calling. as such, the only people still making unsolicited phone calls are the threats -- people we actually want to talk to have the decency to text first.
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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 Not only do I not answer unknown numbers, but I keep my voicemail box full at all times.
If you don't know me but have a legitimate reason to contact me, you already have an email address, physical address to mail, or can send a text.
If you need to get a hold of me but aren't in posession of the above means, then no the fuck you don't
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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 what gets me is the fact that this tech is ancient and nobody tried to fix the issues with it for the last 25 years where spam and scam calling really started.
I mean why is it so hard to report a number to be blocked and the owner to be held accountable. This should be a default phone function to report a number.
Prepaid mobiles need registration everywhere how is it possible for scammers to get whole batches of numbers?
And so on ...
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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.
@newstik @foolishowl that police call could very well have been a scan though. I'd be wary of such a call.
That said, I always answer my phone. It doesn't ring very often, and 9 out of 10 times it's things like a doctor's clinic calling to tell me of a rescheduling.
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@foolishowl I answer almost every call I get, recite my script (including “This call is being monitored and recorded for quality assurance”) and over 95% of the time they hang up on me.
Half of these calls are just ping calls and they would habe hung up anyway...
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@foolishowl what gets me is the fact that this tech is ancient and nobody tried to fix the issues with it for the last 25 years where spam and scam calling really started.
I mean why is it so hard to report a number to be blocked and the owner to be held accountable. This should be a default phone function to report a number.
Prepaid mobiles need registration everywhere how is it possible for scammers to get whole batches of numbers?
And so on ...
I'm not sure what OS your smartphone uses, but in my Android phone reporting and blocking IS a default function.
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I'm not sure what OS your smartphone uses, but in my Android phone reporting and blocking IS a default function.
@ckd @foolishowl but the blocking is just you blocking a number on a local device. So everyone has to do it individually.
It should be reported to the ISP and it should be their responsibility to make sure that there are no scammers.
They should have an incentive to not allow scammers on their network.If hundreds of people block a number than it should be clear that this needs to be investigated.
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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 tech industry has facilitated a large number of threats but they aren't the only (or maybe even the dominant) problem.
Remember, Google is an _advertising_ company.
Recently, the trifecta of land developers, advertisers, and tech hit my phone. They honestly don't know or care how creepy and threatening they sound:
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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.
It's also online. We live in a world that is hostile to us.
For 24 years I am running the Israeli equivalent to snopes.com
I constantly get emails asking me if this or that is a scam. I stopped trying to check and get back to the senders. There is an auto reply saying "It's most likely a scam. Log in to the service, the usual way, not using this link, and see if there is a message for you".
