TWO-SIDED RANT

The backlash against increasing push-to-talk usage has begun, and we're not talking about the backlash against poor latency. The socio-cultural annoyance factor of the mobile phone is multiplying, courtesy of P2T, according to several lifestyle commentators and message board junkies. Everyone is complaining about how this application will inflict further conversational loudness on a populace already staggering from the widespread habit of using cell phones in public places.

These complaints are the latest reflection of how we tend to blame technology for our own behavioral shortcomings, as well as our own inability to adapt to technological advancement. Critics say the only thing worse than hearing one end of a cell phone conversation is hearing both sides of it. However, maybe push-to-talk will actually make such conversations a little easier for eavesdroppers to take.

Part of the problem with current public cell phone conversations is the disorienting one-sidedness of them. If we hear both sides, it may actually be easier to let that conversation slip into the background noise so that we can get on with our lives. Meanwhile, the places where we really don't want to hear phone calls—churches, theaters, intimate restaurants—should continue to discourage their patrons from using their mobiles in these situations.

It's a lesson we all should have learned by now anyway. We live in a country where nearly 150 million people have mobile phones. They have enhanced our lives by promoting our safety, improving our productivity and increasing our communication with one another. Push-to-talk is the latest contribution.