Six Seconds That Cost Billions
Here is a 6 second audio file. Please listen carefully.
| Make your own at MoreCowbell.dj | ||
You’ve probably heard this six-second message before. I just added “more cowbell” to make it less annoying / more beautiful.
In case you don’t have speakers, here’s what the six-second message says,
When you have finished recording, you may hang up, or press pound for more options.
You likely hear that loathsome message every time you roll into cell phone voicemail. You stare vacantly into outer space while listening to this insipid bit of weirdness.
It’s just so wrong, for so many reasons.
American productivity diminishes during that six seconds. Our collective level of stupor raises.
When I’ve finished recording, I can hang up? Really? It’s not like I was planning to just hold on the line indefinitely!
I’ve probably heard that six second bit at least 39 times today. Add it up. It ain’t cheap. Who profits from this?
If you pay by the minute, the cell phone company is lapping up some lavish coin — on both ends of the phone line. Your productivity is diminished. Your intelligence is assaulted.
How can we make this nonsense go away? Or make it optional? I can put it on the end of my voicemail — if I really want it.
But I don’t, because people who call me are smart enough to disconnect after leaving a voicemail. (Note: they don’t “hang” up anymore. What’s to hang?)
Archaic, inaccurate, annoying…
Who’s with me on this?
Or am I totally off base?
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Comments
I’ve always been annoyed by this as well, and thinking about it now I wonder how much collective human time is wasted on this message.
Laura,
I’m with you on this one, for the most part. You can be such an awareness genius at times! I love reading your stuff.
In the back of my head I know that I’ve had fleeting thoughts like this, but never actually put it all together like you did here, never thought about the cumulative time wasted, diminished productivity and collective stupor (sounds somewhat like what watching too much TV can do). I’ve even thought (ha-ha), “Would I be rude to hang up while this guy is talking?”, or “Do I need to continue holding on for more important messages?”
The “hang up” vs. “disconnect” is a generational thing, though, at least in my opinion. I still relate to hanging up. Disconnect sounds to me more like an accidental thing or a cold thing, as in, “What the h— happened? My phone got disconnected!”, or, “The only way to end the relationship was to disconnect.” But then, I am a little older than you…
Chow for now!
Jeanine
press pound for more options? What other option is there?
Love your cowbell that was a great recording voice.