February 16, 2012

New roadblocks for solicitors

I always thought the obnoxious calls at all hours of the day from telemarketers was a human rite of passage. What stage in life you’re actually ascending to…. I’m still not entirely sure, but it’s not the point. While being constantly harassed about going back to school while I sit in my dorm room is annoying, on some level it is still very entertaining. Just look at the situation.

Scrambling to answer that unknown California number, you put the phone up to your ear hoping it’s your big break. No. It’s Robert from EasyCollege.org! He wants to know if you are interested in going back to school! Then when you tell him that you’re currently sitting on your extra long twin bed, he proceeds to tell you things you’re uninterested in until you hang up.

That might all be about to change. Apparently Apple has made it so it is explicitly necessary to have permission before retrieving a person’s contact information through apps. It is a violation to their guidelines. Which means that your number will be floating around less and less… So, you’ll only be getting phone calls, e-mails, and texts from people you actually know. There goes the e-mails I get from myself about confirming my Swiss bank account with millions of dollars waiting for me to spend.

Future generations will miss out on a valuable learning tool. How to assert yourself and remove yourself from an unproductive situation by hanging up the phone. How will the world cope with this?