# It irritates me when people hold their phones like a Star Trek communicator **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** star-trek-paramount\ **Created:** [January 30, 2024, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862 "2024-01-30T12:39:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/1 "2024-01-30T12:39:34Z")
Phones were originally something you held up to the side of your face so that the earpiece was next to your ear. But now I see many people holding their smartphone horizontally, in front of their mouth. Clutching it weirdly so that it doesn’t fall off, because it’s not resting on their cheek. And frowning because they can’t hear what the other person is saying. What am I missing? Are they all on video calls? What’s the point of a video call where you’re showing the ceiling of the supermarket? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/2 "2024-01-30T12:45:24Z")
About five years ago we had a meeting. You weren’t invited. The topic was “How can we maximize irritation for @Heracles in entirely mundane ways?” This was one of the top action items that resulted from the meeting. Do you want to see if you can guess what the rest of them were? ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/3 "2024-01-30T12:47:39Z")
Well, as the old saying goes, “Different strokes for different folks.” If I get a call while I’m curled up on the couch watching TV, I like to balance the phone on my left shoulder. My hair covers it and holds it in place. I turn down or mute the sound so I can listen, talk, and surf all at once. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/4 "2024-01-30T12:48:02Z")
Smartphones are have not been designed to be ear cradled, and as I’m sure you know its a bit awkward and you often feel the flat middle against one’s cheek, instead of the ear contact. I suspect that, along with the common switch to use of speakerphone lends itself to the star trek communicator hold you mention. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/5 "2024-01-30T12:49:52Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > The topic was “How can we maximize irritation for @Heracles in entirely mundane ways?” Come on, we all have some mundane things that irritate us even though others may not even notice them or care if they did. LOL ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/6 "2024-01-30T13:00:24Z")
I do it because the volume of the ear speaker on my iPhone has gone to hell. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/7 "2024-01-30T13:01:54Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > But now I see many people holding their smartphone horizontally, in front of their mouth. They are on speaker phone. They were raised by wolves. Follow them around enough and you will see them going through checkout, continuing their speakerphone conversation, and only pausing for a moment to pay for their purchases, only after waiting for a natural pause in the conversation to do so. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/8 "2024-01-30T13:05:06Z")
I’ve been seeing this for a few years now, across all ages, and I do admit, it bugs me a little bit in public because I just feel awkward hearing someone’s conversation like that. Like I was in the elevator the other day, and the person on the other end was talking about whopping some child’s ass for misbehaving or something, and I just never asked to be part of this conversation. So that annoys me. I don’t want to hear other people’s business. I’m not naturally nosy. I know the same can happen just standing next to two people having a conversation, but at least most people try to moderate what they’re talking about when they know strangers can overhear, and also, that speakerphone is just harder to ignore. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/9 "2024-01-30T13:23:03Z")
If people are choosing to have public conversations by holding their phones this way and using the speaker, what’s to stop you from joining in? 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/10 "2024-01-30T13:23:47Z")
No one can hear me if I don’t do this. The phone was designed for absolutely everything except, you know, phone calls. It’s impossible to hold the phone against your face in the normal way you used to hold a phone, and expect to both hear and be heard. I switch positions back and forth – holding it out speaking directly into the mic (the tiny pinhole in the bottom edge) and then moving the top speaker area back near my ear to listen. It’s kind of a drag but I swear I’m not doing it to annoy anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/11 "2024-01-30T13:25:53Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > This was one of the top action items that resulted from the meeting. Do you want to see if you can guess what the rest of them were? “$10 million dollars” “ATM machine” “Citibank, a bank” (in _The Economist_) _Ilium_ and _Olympos_ by Dan Simmons, a complex story where multiple characters know what’s going on but somehow never reveal anything beyond what’s needed for the next 5 minutes of action. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/12 "2024-01-30T13:27:27Z")
My phone is a Star Trek communicator. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/13 "2024-01-30T13:27:54Z")
To me, that comes across as posing for a camera Kartrashian-style. Sure isn’t practical. Of course, I tend to find speaker-phones in public a bit rude anyway, both to the involuntary audience and to the person on the other end who may not be aware that their private conversation is being blasted to an audience of strangers. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/14 "2024-01-30T13:28:57Z")
I was visiting my mother in Florida on the weekend and found myself in a factory outlet mall where my niece had been over the Christmas holidays and she wanted a particular blanket she had seen. I had to FaceTime her and show her the blankets so she could pick one. I won’t deny that I was a bit mortified. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/15 "2024-01-30T13:30:04Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > My phone is a Star Trek communicator. Then you are woefully out of date! 😳 ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/16 "2024-01-30T13:37:27Z")
I suspect this is a lot of the same dynamic as people holding guns sideways when they shoot, or why they fall down when they get shot in the arm. They see people doing it, they assume that’s how it’s done, can’t imagine it being anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/17 "2024-01-30T13:40:14Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > They are on speaker phone. > They were raised by wolves. On behave of all members of the subspecies canis lupus, I protest this denigrating stereotype. 😏 ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/18 "2024-01-30T13:46:14Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > If people are choosing to have public conversations by holding their phones this way and using the speaker, what’s to stop you from joining in? 😁 A couple of weeks ago I was at work and went to the boys’ room…there was someone in a stall having a long loud conversation on their phone. It was a large bathroom with multiple stalls and lots of flushing going on. There is no way the other listener couldn’t tell where the caller was. I imagined saying in a firm tone “Dude, are you actually talking to someone on the phone while seated on the commode?” or something less genteel. But it was work and who knows who that guy was. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/19 "2024-01-30T13:51:34Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > > > This was one of the top action items that resulted from the meeting. Do you want to see if you can guess what the rest of them were? > > “$10 million dollars” > “ATM machine” > “Citibank, a bank” (in _The Economist_) > _Ilium_ and _Olympos_ by Dan Simmons, a complex story where multiple characters know what’s going on but somehow never reveal anything beyond what’s needed for the next 5 minutes of action. Great guesses! You left out a few, though. Some may be yet to come… ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862/20 "2024-01-30T13:59:09Z")
I’m sure smart phones just work better that way. I still hold mine like old landlines but that’s just because I’m old (note the two spaces between my sentences…) ETA: I just noticed the stupid Internet removes my extra space…grumble, grumble…) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-irritates-me-when-people-hold-their-phones-like-a-star-trek-communicator/996862.md?page=2)