47 % thinks loud conversations are a nuisance
46 % dislikes irritating ringtones
38 % doesn’t want to listen in on other people’s conversations

The poll was held among 585 young people between 12 – 25 years.
———–
———–
Among the total Dutch population, the numbers are even higher, according to the Telecom monitor 2006 (source www.nu.nl):

62 % is annoyed by loud conversations
60 % hates listening to other people’s conversations
40 % hates annoying ringtones
37 % doesn’t like his/her partner to answer the phone during a normal conversation
35 % doesn’t like loud ringtones

news source: www.newsday.com

The ubiquitous presence of the mobile phone can be a nuisance during class, meetings, concerts, the movies, etc. USA company NaturalNano claims to refine and market a radio-frequency shielding paint that can block signals in spaces treated with the paint. It ca also be used to create private networks inside spaces. The technology works at the nano-level, of which I cannot say anything informed, but apparently leaves open some sort of selective access control, which means that some signals can be allowed through while others are being shielded. Legal problems may arise, as blocking radio frequency signals is illegal in some/most countries. I wonder whether this technological fix is more useful than social mechanisms for preventing unwanted phone calls?