It's because phone-talkers have much less of an idea of how loud they are talking. Talking to someone in person involves a certain amount of feedback that is lacking in cellphone conversations.

As a lame phone-conversationalist, I know the differences. And as a human being who uses the T, you should too. It's not all about you, asshole. Shut up, or go away.

The problem is that people use their cell phones EVERYWHERE! On the T, in restaurants, in the car, on the planes… It never ends. Some of us remember the days when we weren't ALWAYS available. How about a little discretion? Just a little?

People talk a lot about the offense of second-hand smoke, how about the offensiveness of second-hand cell?

If I'm sitting next to - or worse - across the car from you and I can hear your conversation over my iPod, then it's a problem. More often than not, this is exactly what happens when someone uses their phone on the T.

The other day, I was stuck riding the B Line inbound during morning rush hour while sitting in the single seat Breda's have to the left of the stairs leading from the low-floor area, when a young woman got on and stood on the stairs, turned sideways and leaned over the railing about a foot over my head while she loudly discussed her relationship issues for the next half hour.

Not too long before that, I sat in one of the jumpseats in the articulated section while a similar young woman stood to face the picture window directly behind me as she yelled into her phone while for forty minutes while eighteen inches from my face.

Dare I discuss the man loudly engaging in contract negotiations on his Bluetooth headseat to the point where the entire train was privy to the likely confidential details of the entire matter?

These are just a small sampling of what happens when people use their cell phones on the T, but it is pretty much the way it plays out on a daily basis. Nobody wants to hear you yell into your phone, and despite what you may think - you are almost certainly talking much louder than you need to.

There are two types of people than can really be counted on to ruin your commute, the two people who get on a dead-silent train and engage in an unnaturally loud conversation, and those who feel as though they must subject others to their cell phone conversations. Both types suck, and I'm not too thrilled that being courteous with cell phones is anathema to most people these days.

In most cases I'd rather be subjected to a conversation between two people near me than one person talking on a cell phone.
Two reasons:
1) First, cell phone users talk louder than necessary. If they were talking with someone in person, usually they would talk more quietly.
2) There is something disconcerting - I can't quite put my finger on it - about hearing one end of a conversation. There's something peculiarly annoying about it. It's like a disembodied conversation that you have to overhear because you're near the person. When there are two people talking in person, there's a natural give-and-take that our ears are accustomed to. When one person is talking into a device and you can't hear the other one respond, it's uncomfortable to listen to.
Do others agree? Know what I mean?

A while back, I bought these from some store in Copley. But y'know? Maybe I should actually USE them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jen Stewart

People will never learn cell phone ettiquitte.

A note to self absorbed cell phone users - stop talking on the cell phone when interacting with people who want to help you. I used to work for the big fancy coffee chain and so many people would come up to the counter and with there cell phones and try to order. Rude a-holes, almost all of them. We would go out of our way to screw up their orders. You want decaf - here's full caf. Non fat - here's your whole milk. Left your umbrella in the cafe? Haven't seen it.

This works without fail every time: carry a notepad and pen with you at all times. When someone starts yapping away, pull them out, give them your undivided attention, and start scribbling away. You'd be amazed at how fast it shuts most people up. And of course, if anyone makes a stink, just remind them that their conversation is a matter of public record and they shouldn't mind someone trying to preserve it for posterity.

The people who Adam responded to don't seem to get it. I will, however, concede that talking loudly on a cell phone is annoying.

But what I really think is that you're all just curmudgeons. Curmudgeons!

is if the MBTA train is delayed for whatever reason for an unusually long time, thereby making one's being late to work, an appointment, to school, or to meet someone inevitable. In the event that it's necessary to make such a call, the call should be as brief as possible.