A Cowardly Call? You be the Judge

Have you ever experienced one of those days when you simply wish you don't have to deal with someone but the circumstance proves not to be in your favour?

Make that circumstance and conscience. That is, in the case of the latter, if you have one.

Then, there is one desperate thing left to do. Opt for Slydial.

Sly what? Well, it's this nifty technology that is gaining ground Stateside for letting people off the hook, so to speak, from facing and making those awkward phone calls.

As this NYT article elucidates:

The technology, called Slydial, lets callers dial a mobile phone but avoid an unwanted conversation — or unwanted intimacy — on the other end. The incoming call goes undetected by the recipient, who simply receives the traditional blinking light or ping that indicates that a voice mail message has been received.

Some people use it to break up with someone by leaving him or her a voice message; others depend on it to avoid talking to their superior who, despite the verbatim explanation, will put them through the third degree as to why they're on medical leave while others just want to avoid talking to somebody - relative or otherwise - who's either talkative or inquisitive to no end.

Personally, it is amusing that a company has actually come up with this type of technological 'service'. But on hindsight, I am not all that surprised MobileSphere manages to zero in on the overwhelming effect today's technology has on most people.

MobileSphere’s co-founder, Gavin Macomber, said the tool was a time-saver in a world in which conversations could waste time, whereas voice mail can get directly to the point. Part of the reason people are so overwhelmed, Mr. Macomber said, is because they are connected to devices and streams of data around the clock.

How true this is. I'm constantly linked to my phone, no thanks to the 3G technology that enables me to check my emails and bookmarked websites. I'd have this compulsion to check my phone now and then for news and interesting tidbits.

Even my husband, who had upgraded to a 'mini-computer' phone, seems compelled to read his work-related emails that flood in after office-hours and over the weekend (these people working and sending work emails on a Sunday should re-assess their priorities). Such an ingenious way of technology to suck the life out of you even on your off day.

I think some of us have committed an evasion of technological advancement in one form or another. Refusing to answer the phone, pressing the Reject Call button when a familiar telemarketing number (like Citibank!) comes a-calling, or merely ignoring an text message/sms which is so beneath you to deign a reply.

Interestingly enough, the article points to people's predilection to 'miss one another on purpose'. In the near future, the phrase 'playing phone-tag' could no longer be a succession of seemingly innocuous missed calls between two individuals, but instead has a negative undertone which plants a seed of gnawing suspicion for the two parties involved. On the back of our mind, there will always be that "Did he leave a missed call on purpose?"

This 'one-way communication' is prevalent all over the Internet with sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Radar.net reinforcing the habit on a pool of both willing and unwilling audience. I found myself sniggering at this part for I have to confess I'm a perpetrator of this mode of communicating too, broadcasting my thoughts and whereabouts with a relish that probably borders on mania. :)

As John Poisson of Radar.net puts it :
“We’re in this mode where we’re telling everybody everything all the time...It becomes about saying things — just blathering on. We’re at the apex of that trend.”

I can't agree with him more on that point.

With Slydial on the block, getting straight to the point will be much easier amid the yackety-yak one usually has to put up with. If only there's a Malaysian version on the market.


Addendum: Turns out, my husband uses the voice mail all the time at the office, primarily to schedule a meeting, to leave a friendly reminder to attend meetings and to leave specific instructions to someone. If only they have a Slydial option for meetings that will circumvent the propensity of going off on a tangent by certain people. But I've heard some companies like ExxonMobil have very strict guidelines - everything is recorded for Corporate Governance purposes - on how a meeting must be conducted, thus minimising the probability of veering off topic. Well, that should be a motivation!

He also told me about the voice mail option of my cellphone Service Provider where at the click of some buttons, I could bypass talking to a person. However, I'm not sure if the service is available and extends to those outside of one's Service Provider. In that case, we still need Slydial! :)