A Possible Future of Cell Phone Courtesy

Japan Media Review -- A New Set of Social Rules for a Newly Wireless Society -- via Ming -- As an aging 52-year-old American, I haven't really gotten into the text messaging features of my cell phone. But things are different in a yonger cohort in Japan...

"Among college, high school and middle school girls who own keitai[cell phones], keitai e-mail use is effectively 100 percent. Boys are not far behind with 88 percent; in the middle school and high school group and 96 percent among college students...Before initiating a call to a keitai, they will, almost without exception, begin with a text message to determine availability; the new social norm is that you should "knock before entering." By sending messages like "Can you talk on the phone now?" or "Are you awake?" text messagers spare each other the rude awakening and disruption of a sudden phone call."

Ah, the civility of the next generation. Check out the full article...an interesting sociological study.