# What's with people holding the cellphone in that weird way? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 3, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-people-holding-the-cellphone-in-that-weird-way/479705 "2009-01-03T15:54:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-people-holding-the-cellphone-in-that-weird-way/479705/21 "2009-01-05T00:05:24Z")
I know many that do it, and it has nothing to do with it being on speaker mode (since it was brought up). I’ve seen it done when the cellphone is on regular mode. It’s all about looking like an alpha urban male. Why? Because it was done in some rap video, and it stuck. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-people-holding-the-cellphone-in-that-weird-way/479705/22 "2009-01-05T01:05:59Z")
How about all the people in this thread who give reasons why they do it that, apparently, aren’t being cool or from the “hood”? Anyone that thinks it’s just those things want to tackle the real life examples we’ve got here? ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-people-holding-the-cellphone-in-that-weird-way/479705/23 "2009-01-05T01:11:00Z")
I asked this same question a few months back in my LJ. It has NOTHING to do with using speakerphone or PTT. About the best reason we could all come up with was as someone upthread mentioned - the oils get on the phone and make the display cloudy. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-people-holding-the-cellphone-in-that-weird-way/479705/24 "2009-01-05T06:37:57Z")
> [@scout1222](#): > > I asked this same question a few months back in my LJ. It has NOTHING to do with using speakerphone or PTT. About the best reason we could all come up with was as someone upthread mentioned - the oils get on the phone and make the display cloudy. No, I find it to be a style of talking _into_ the phone. Not avoidance of a dirty screen from ear contact. There’s also body language that goes into it the act too, mixed with a little bit of talking down to the person on the other end of the phone. It’s likely that this didn’t originate from the “hood”, **faithfool**. But if it didn’t originate from the hip-hop scene in some aspect… it’ll be news to me. Look at [Guy A](http://www.handsoncare.com/assets/images/Smiling_man_talking_on_cell_phone_1.jpg) vs. [Guy B](http://pro.corbis.com/images/42-17194006.jpg?size=572&uid=%7B3C8542A5-091B-4463-9DED-A84B83C88391%7D) (best I could find for Guy B, tough photo to find with someone doing that) The method that Guy B is using will have him putting the ear piece back to his ear to hear, and then back to shouting into the phone in a condescending matter. And then to hear again, he would place the ear piece back to his ear again… and that is how an entire conversation will go with Guy B. In case anybody wasn’t familiar with the style being discussed… ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-people-holding-the-cellphone-in-that-weird-way/479705/25 "2009-01-05T06:51:45Z")
> [@scout1222](#): > > I asked this same question a few months back in my LJ. It has NOTHING to do with using speakerphone or PTT. The people that I know do it when they are on speakerphone, when they aren’t they hold it up to their ear. I rarely use speakerphone, but when I do, guess what, I don’t hold it up to my ear anymore. This doesn’t mean everyone has a particular style for the same reason, but clearly some are doing it just due to speakerphone. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-people-holding-the-cellphone-in-that-weird-way/479705/26 "2009-01-05T11:08:17Z")
I wish my current phone had a loud enough speakerphone capability - if it did I’d often use it that way. The reason being that, with the phone held aginst the ear, I need to first to _negotiate for the other person to shut up for a short time_ in order to be able to look at the display. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-people-holding-the-cellphone-in-that-weird-way/479705/27 "2009-01-05T15:14:41Z")
Why do you need to look at the display? I usually do this when I’m in a situation where it’s hard to hear. I’ll move it to my ear when they’re talking, and to my mouth when I am. It’s not as drastic as the linked pictures, though. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-people-holding-the-cellphone-in-that-weird-way/479705/28 "2009-01-05T15:44:40Z")
> [@Santo\_Rugger](#): > > Why do you need to look at the display? … [ul] [li]When I want to make sure: What number did I dial, again? (yes, I am just a bit compulsive)[/li][li]When I need to look up a number in my phone book to dictate to my interlocutor[/li][li]When I get the call waiting signal and need to decide between continuing the present call and winding it up, on the basis on who’s waiting. That’s particularly irksome because when I first need to negotiate for the present caller to let me look at the display, then need to negotiate (because the second call looks to be urgent) for the present caller to wind up the call _now_, the second caller is likely to have given up. (a peeve of mine, unrelated to the OP: Why do people take “I got another call waiting. Can I call again in a few minutes?” to mean “Need to wind up the call in a minute or so” rather than what I mean: “Need to wind up the call within three seconds”?). (as an explanation: I get calls from a frail parent - used to be two frail parents until recently…)[/li][/ul] Not normally being able to listen and look at the display at the same time is the one thing I miss on mobile vs. landline phones. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-people-holding-the-cellphone-in-that-weird-way/479705/29 "2009-01-05T16:07:29Z")
Most often, when I see someone holding a cell phone like a walkie talkie, it seems to be a construction worker using Nextel. There’s that characteristic chirp at the end of every line. ---
**Author:** ![Lama\_Pacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Lama\_Pacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lama_Pacos)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-people-holding-the-cellphone-in-that-weird-way/479705/30 "2009-01-05T18:56:54Z")
Sometimes I do this when I’m in public. I feel self-conscious talking loudly on my phone around strangers, and bringing the mouthpiece directly to my mouth allows me to talk at a much quieter volume. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-people-holding-the-cellphone-in-that-weird-way/479705/31 "2009-01-05T19:16:47Z")
Yo, I hold my cell phone sideways, with the side of the phone facing my face, microphone and speaker facing down towards the ground, ganststa’ style. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-people-holding-the-cellphone-in-that-weird-way/479705.md?page=1)