第2468期:Why we've stopped answering the phone

Suddenly a sound rings out, stopping you in your tracks. Panicking, you search for where it could be coming from. It's your phone, and if you're like a quarter of 18 to 34-year-olds in a recent British study, you probably won't answer it. The same study found that 70% of people in this age group prefer text messages to phone calls. Why do so many people hate phone calls? 突然，一道声音响起，让你停下了脚步。你惊慌失措，寻找它可能来自哪里。这是你的手机，如果你就像英国最近一项研究中 18 至 34 岁人群中的四分之一一样，你可能不会接听它。同一项研究发现，这个年龄段的人中有 70% 更喜欢短信而不是电话。为什么很多人讨厌打电话？ While previous generations grew up using landlines to talk to their friends, smartphone-equipped younger people have grown up accustomed to using text messages, group chats and voice notes for social conversations. What these media have in common is that they are asynchronous – they don't need to happen in real time. When you can craft a reply free of interruption, you have greater control over your contributions to a conversation. It also means that you can reply when it's best for you. Synchronous communication, like phone calls or face-to-face conversations, can lead people to feel a loss of control and the corresponding anxiety. Coupled to this is that fact that many young people report associating phone calls, particularly those without prior warning, with bad news. 前几代人是使用固定电话与朋友聊天长大的，而配备智能手机的年轻人已经习惯使用短信、群聊和语音笔记进行社交对话。这些媒体的共同点是它们是异步的——它们不需要实时发生。当您能够不受干扰地做出回复时，您就可以更好地控制自己对对话的贡献。这也意味着您可以在最适合您的时候回复。同步沟通，如电话或面对面交谈，可能会导致人们感到失控和相应的焦虑。与此相伴的是，许多年轻人报告说，他们将电话（尤其是那些没有事先警告的电话）与坏消息联系起来。 This means that new social codes are being established. Many people will now text someone to see if they're available to take a phone call. If someone doesn't feel able to sum something up in a few short messages, they might leave a long voice note. Could it be that not wanting to intrude on someone with a sudden phone call is just a question of good manners and respecting someone's boundaries? 这意味着新的社会规范正在建立。现在，许多人会发短信询问某人是否可以接听电话。如果有人觉得无法用几条短信概括一些内容，他们可能会留下很长的语音留言。难道不想突然打电话打扰别人只是出于礼貌和尊重别人的界限吗？ Maybe, but this doesn't mean that anxiety around communication has been eliminated. Texting may be asynchronous, but many people report tensions from being 'left on read' – when you know someone has read your message, but they don't, or won't, reply. Many would agree with British writer Daisy Buchanan, who reminds us how picking up the phone to talk to someone can be far more effective at relieving tension than a series of awkward messages. So, are these new social codes better at respecting boundaries, or are they just creating a whole new set of potential anxieties? 也许吧，但这并不意味着沟通方面的焦虑已经消除。短信可能是异步的，但许多人报告说，当您知道有人已阅读您的消息，但他们没有或不会回复时，“未读”会带来紧张感。许多人会同意英国作家黛西·布坎南(Daisy Buchanan)的观点，她提醒我们，拿起电话与某人交谈比一系列尴尬的信息更能有效缓解紧张情绪。那么，这些新的社会规范是否更能尊重界限，或者它们只是创造了一系列全新的潜在焦虑？ 词汇表text message 文字消息landline 固定电话smartphone-equipped 拥有智能手机的group chat 群聊voice note 语音留言social conversation 社交聊天media 传播媒介asynchronous 非即时的，异步的real time 实时interruption 打断，干扰contribution 贡献synchronous 即时的，同步的face-to-face 面对面的anxiety 焦虑prior warning 预先警告social code 社交规则text 给…发短信available 有空的intrude on 打扰respect boundaries 尊重他人的界限left on read 已读不回，发出的消息显示已读但没有收到回复pick up 接听电话