Dear Amy: What words of advice would you have for addressing someone who is in a public place having a very public, loud and personal phone conversation on their Bluetooth earbuds (or cellphones in general)?
I'm completely baffled as to why someone does this, but I see it all the time — in grocery stores, business offices, you name it.
No one wants to hear it, and it makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable.
Amy says: I believe the reason people tend to yell into their cellphones while they are using earphones or earbuds is because they can't hear themselves very well because their ears are plugged by their earbuds.
People tend to quickly believe that they are isolated when engaged in a private cellphone conversation, even in a public space. Landlines (remember those?) have microphones in the earpiece so speakers can hear themselves. Cellphones don't seem to utilize this function as well.
The so-called "Lombard effect" describes the human tendency to raise our voice to match the noise around us, even when this is unnecessary.
Yes — this is annoying! I'd like to augment this gripe by adding an additional annoyance: People who use FaceTime in public.
I understand that all grandparents find their grandchildren adorable and compelling, but must they visit with these children over FaceTime at a crowded restaurant? And again with the yelling!
