My phone rang.
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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 Why are the police using an unlisted number?
That's the most suspicious thing I've ever heard.
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@themipper @ckd @foolishowl I think the reporting actually goes to the phone service provider (which is not the same thing as an Internet service provider.)
But they're pretty lax about bothering to do anything about it. As you say, they have little incentive. In fact, I don't know how it is elsewhere, but over here in America they actually now get to sell people a spam blocking subscription (so they actually have incentive to not help people for free to get more money for it...)
@nazokiyoubinbou @ckd @foolishowl Yeah, I meant the phone service provider (it is so rare to talk about phone service providers these days that I actually didn't think about using the term ISP)
I think they cannot sell spam protection subscriptions in Europe. But I just looked it up my provider rolled out a spam protection service last November. Did not see a difference.
Still get a lot of calls that either ring once or have a robot telling me that they have a job for me ... -
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'm not sure it's fear of contact.. it's the advertising industry abusing phones to the point that they became useless.. they same way they did for email and answering your front door.
If the advertising industry died in a fire we'd all be better off.
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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 always get a startle when it rings. Usually it makes other sounds 🤪.
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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.
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@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.@em_and_future_cats @foolishowl Exactly the same in my childhood home - except for the crow; I would have loved 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 I'm not sure this is a tech industry issue.
Your direct number or means of contact is reserved for your close friends and family. Not answering is the digital equivalent of "No Soliciting" signs or answering machines.
If a complete stranger walks up to & and acts like your friend you walk away.
Entering a business; same thing.
You reserve the right to protect your personal space.
Before digitisation and tech scammers & social engineers just bought the phonebook.
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@cy Yes, I do.
This moose has just answered a couple of the robocall card fraud calls, so the ba*ds have started up again...
1) "Thank you for buying tickets from East Midlands Trains..."
2) "This is a call from Bank Security..."
Standard response: hang up, open the "Who called me" (https://https://who-called.co.uk/) website and log the date, time and a brief description. Eventually it gets reported up the line to the VOIP or Mobile company and they cancel the scammers access. 3:O|>
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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 wouldn't mind a phone app where you have to first allow a contact to call you
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@foolishowl I wouldn't mind a phone app where you have to first allow a contact to call you
@gkrnours @foolishowl
iOS has a setting that does not answer calls not in your Contacts. It sends them to voicemail w/o ringing. Turned mine off the last 4 months so that every call rings (medical reasons). Not many junk calls, mostly “Do you want to sell your house?” I just tell them that it is being passed on to family and hang up. -
@foolishowl
I've been against answering the phone (or door) if I'm not expecting anyone since I was a kid, but I have recently had the same thought about emails, texts, and even internet replies.They used to all be enjoyable. Now very few are.
@violet @foolishowl yes electronic contact is dull, consumerist, repetative or criminal. I only open my emails when I expect important mail.
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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
Them (a person I called to do business with them): "Is this a good number to reach you at?"Me: (Explains my phone will not ring, since they're not in my Contacts. They can leave a VM, & then TXT me, which WILL ding.)
Them: "OMG, I WISH I could do that. But I can't, obviously."
This exact exchange happens very often. It's a joy every time.
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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've heard this is terrible in the US. I feel that's partly a failed regulation issue - here (Czechia), I take almost all calls, because spam/advertising calls are +/- sensibly regulated and thus are not so frequent.
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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 we allowed the #enshittification to happen!
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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 things would have been far simpler if Messrs Bell & Co had been mucking about with some sort of teleprinter!
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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 willingness to pick up any call and the lack of a way to tell who is calling created opportunities to exploit that willingness and lack of knowledge.Now I don't answer a call if the number isn't in my contacts and I'm not expecting a call from a new source.
It's not so much that I'm less willing nowadays to talk to a stranger on the phone (I could not BE much less willing) but now I know when it's a stranger. Why would I, then, pick up the phone? To what end?
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@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
@TeflonTrout @foolishowl
Very this. -
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