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?
突然间，一个声音响起，让你停下了脚步。你惊慌失措地寻找声音的来源。原来是你的手机，如果你和最近一项英国研究中18至34岁人群中的四分之一一样，你可能不会接听。同样的研究发现，这个年龄段的70%的人更喜欢发短信而不是打电话。为什么这么多人讨厌打电话呢？

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.
当老一辈人还习惯于使用固定电话与朋友交流时，拥有智能手机的年轻人已经习惯了通过短信、群聊和语音消息来进行社交对话。这些交流方式的共同点在于它们都是异步的——不需要实时进行。当你可以在不受打扰的情况下构思回复时，你就能更好地控制对话中的发言。这也意味着你可以在最适合你的时候回复。而电话通话或面对面交谈这样的同步沟通方式，可能会让人们感到失去了控制，从而产生相应的焦虑。此外，许多年轻人报告说，他们将电话通话，尤其是那些没有事先预警的通话，与坏消息联系在一起。

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?
这意味着新的社交准则正在建立。许多人现在会先发短信询问对方是否方便接电话。如果有人觉得不能用几条简短的消息概括某事，他们可能会留下一条长语音留言。不想突然打电话打扰别人，会不会只是一个礼貌和尊重他人界限的问题呢？

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焦虑已经消除。短信可能是异步的，但许多人都报告说，“待读”——当你知道有人读了你的信息，但他们没有或不愿回复——会让人感到紧张。很多人都同意英国作家黛西·布坎南的观点，她提醒我们，拿起电话与人交谈远比一连串尴尬的信息更能缓解紧张。那么，这些新的社交准则是更好地尊重了界限，还是在制造一套全新的潜在焦虑呢？

词汇表
ring out 突然响起，响亮地发出
stop you in your track 让你停下了脚步（立即停止你正在做的事情，经常是因为你感到惊讶）
panicking ['pænɪkɪŋ] 惊慌失措的，恐慌的
text message 文字消息，短信
phone calls 打电话，通电话
landline [ˈlæn(d)ˌlaɪn] 固定电话，座机
smartphone-equipped [ɪ'kwɪpt] 拥有智能手机的
be accustomed to [ə'kʌstəmd] 习惯于，适应于
group chat 群聊
voice note 语音留言，语音消息
asynchronous [eɪ'sɪŋkrənəs] 非即时的，异步的
in real time 实时地，及时的
craft a reply [krɑːft] 构思回复
interruption [ˌɪntəˈrʌpʃən] 打断，干扰
synchronous ['sɪŋkrənəs] 即时的，同步的
face-to-face conversation 面对面的交谈
corresponding [ˌkɒrɪˈspɒndɪŋ] 相应的，相关的
be coupled to 加上，结合
prior warning [ˈpraɪə(r)] 预先警告
social code 社交规则
text 给…发短信
available [ə'veɪləb(ə)l] 有空的，可取得联系的
sum up [sʌm] 总结，概括
intrude on [ɪnˈtruːd] 打扰，侵犯
respect boundaries 尊重他人的界限
eliminate [ɪˈlɪmɪˌneɪt] 消除，消灭，根除
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 the phone 接听电话
relieve tension [rɪˈliːv] 缓解紧张
a whole new set of 一套全新的

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