Has Consideration Become Optional?

Someone is watching videos without headphones in a waiting room. Someone else is taking a speakerphone call on a train. A coworker is on a loud Teams meeting while sitting next to the people they're meeting with.Most of us have experienced these moments.And most of us have probably stayed quiet.In this solo episode of Popularly Unpopular, I reflect on the conversations from the recent two-part series on office culture and asks a broader question: Have we become less considerate of the people around us—or simply less willing to talk about it?This isn't a conversation about manners or nostalgia. It's about how we navigate shared spaces, shared experiences, and our obligations to one another in a culture that increasingly prioritizes the individual.Because maybe the question isn't why people are louder.Maybe the question is why everyone else feels they have to stay silent.