Hands-free features on cell phones have become increasingly popular in recent years, but now it is hands-free calling that is on the rise, especially among young adults.
More and more young adults are swapping their headphones for their phone’s speaker, whether to listen to videos on social media or even make phone calls.
According to French sociologist Francis Jauréguiberry, this new fashion can be explained in three ways. “Talking on the phone in speaker mode can be explained by the fear of waves, the need to make a video call and the desire to signal to the outside world: “I’m not there, I’ve disappeared from physical space, I’m in one “immersed in another sphere” in conversation with someone else,” he said, according to Le Parisien.
However, these are not the only reasons that can encourage the use of the hands-free function. The French media conducted a survey among young Internet users and found that this fashion is particularly popular among young adults from Generation Z. Some netizens mentioned the ability to do multiple things at the same time by using the speaker.
“The idea is to be able to have a conversation, respond to a text message at the same time and be able to consult the Internet at the same time. We behave as if we have several tabs open and switch from one to another,” said a young woman named Mélissa.
Although this practice disturbs many people on the street or on public transport, young people are not necessarily aware that they are disturbing others, believes psychologist and psychoanalyst Jacques Arènes.
“These are people “like everyone else”, sometimes simpler or more disadvantaged, who unconsciously impose their cloud of sound on everyone, thus displacing their interior in the heart of the lights or darkness of the city,” he said in a text published on the French website La Vie.
However, if you switch the phone to speakerphone mode during a call, the person on the other end of the line does not automatically agree to the conversation being heard by everyone passing by. It is therefore important to warn him, reminded Southern Living.