You see them everywhere. Walking up the hill in between classes. Walking on State Street. Even working out at the gym. And they’re usually by themselves, yet they all have one thing in common. A cell phone is suitably glued to an ear, be it bedazzled or not. I have wondered, however, just whom are these people talking to? What is so important at 10:58 a.m. before class to be talking excitedly on the phone about nothing, but loudly enough so that everyone can hear?

In a recent New York Times article, a professor of communication at Rutgers University was interviewed concerning classroom research he had conducted based on people talking on the phone around you. Surprisingly enough, 93 percent of respondents in one of the classrooms admitted to making “fake calls,” in which they were simply pretending to talk to Dick or Jane or whoever their imaginary friend was at the spur of the moment.

I was in New York last December and remember being in a bank where a man was sitting on a chair in the lobby-area talking on the phone, changing the names of the people he was talking to, fighting with them one minute, laughing the next. Here was a prime example of someone using the cell phone as a decoy, but this was possibly a man with schizophrenia, not a college student on his or her way to class. The thought of actually making up a conversation boggles my mind. Why is it nowadays people aren’t comfortable enough being alone, or get bored with themselves so quickly they jump into a fantasy-type conversation for the 8-minute walk to lunch?

I decided to ask a random sample of college students if they actually ever made up conversations to “blend in” to their surroundings or whatever the purpose may have been. One girl told me “I don’t really like to walk alone. Having awkward little stop-and-chats with the people that you sometimes say ‘hi’ to, but not always. It’s just easier to avoid it.” Another said, “If I can’t get a hold of anyone specific, I’ll leave messages for a lot of people so at least I’m not pretending to call people. But sometimes when I leave these messages and the person calls me back, I really have nothing to say to them so I just won’t answer. So I guess that’s just as bad.”

What may be worse than the cleverly dubbed “cellphonies” by the Times is cell phone etiquette. I’m sure you’ve seen a group of friends walking down the street all talking on their cell phones at the same time. Then what’s the point of actually spending time with someone? It’s bad enough to answer your phone while you’re out to eat with a group of people or even on a date, but when someone goes as far as to keep it placed on the table, we’ve got a problem. Unless Hollywood’s calling to sign you for the next big film, turn it off.

I believe that more people nowadays are concerned with their relationships with their pieces of technology — Blackberries and Sidekicks included. Unless you’re in the corporate world, what’s the importance of checking your e-mail via cell phone during breakfast, or instant messaging away from your computer? There are even those people who can’t put their phone down even at the gym. I know if you’ve been in a cardio room recently, you’ve seen at least one person talking away on their phone. As an avid runner myself, I for one know that it’s a lot easier to catch your breath if you’re not speaking. Not to mention annoying everyone around you.

I’m pretty sure that if you leave your phone at home for a day, the world won’t come to an end. Try it. You may actually be surprised how nice it is not to be able to be reached at all times. And you may also take a little time to enjoy yourself.

Lindsay Zuckerman ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism.