You are walking in the woods.

A babbling brook, a breeze rustling the leaves, the sweet trill of a chickadee—Mother Nature can be really distracting when you’re on your phone. So a hike is the perfect time to put your conversation on speaker. Your friend is desperate to tell you about the wallpaper she’s putting up in her guest bathroom, which means it’s imperative that you hear her every word at full volume. No one, except maybe the animals and a few people taking restorative strolls, will notice.

You are having a heart-to-heart conversation.

Your daughter is in the middle of a bitter divorce, and she has no one to turn to but you and the strangers in your elevator. Sure, you could always call her right back, but you’re not tethered to the confines of your own home like some landline-o

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