While I thought this card was a clever way to ask people to put a sock in it when they’re using their cell phones too much, I realized upon reflection that I’m not hearing so many people having annoying cell phone conversations as I used to. A few years ago I would hear people screaming at their phones on pretty much any crosstown bus, and would snicker at the Bluetooth crowd walking down the street looking like crazy people talking to themselves. Now, I don’t notice these things nearly as much. Why?

Is it that I notice it less, that as cell phones have become “normal” these conversations have sort of faded into the background? Is it because the technology has gotten better and people are speaking more quietly because calls are clearer and they are hearing their own voices (normal phones have always featured a little feedback from the speaker’s voice to help callers gauge their own volume, while mobile phones usually haven’t)? I suspect it’s some combination of these factors. It’s even possible that a few people realized they were being loud and lowered their voices a bit.