You cannot go to a restaurant without one interrupting your dinner conversation.

Sometimes, they even keep you from enjoying an evening at the movie theater. Maybe you have encountered one at church services or graduations. Any way you look at it, cell phones are taking over the world.

As more and more people are going wireless, it is becoming more and more obvious that the almighty cellular telephone is taking over our lives. We are slaves to it. Sometimes, I wonder how on Earth our forefathers could have survived without one in their pocket or strapped to their belt.

Now, it seems, most of us would be lost without a cell phone. They are blessings, in some ways. They are nice tools to have to communicate with one another when we need to or, heaven forbid, to use when we encounter an emergency situation.

But when did this tool become more of a toy? You cannot go to any public place anymore without just about everyone around you yapping - most of the time about something seemingly insignificant. In their own way, the "cell heads" pollute the air

in complete disregard for anyone else.

People are simply inconsiderate. When did we, as a society, decide it is OK to air our private conversations in public?

Sometimes, I feel as if I am a member of a total stranger's family. I really don't need to hear that Aunt Clara had her gall bladder removed or little Johnny is finally potty trained. Those types of conversations are best left to your "primitive" phones.

Few could argue that when technology advanced so did our level of rudeness. The lack of cell phone etiquette has been a pet peeve of mine for quite some time, but an e-mail I received this week enticed me to get my frustrations off my chest.

Did you know that July is National Cell Phone Courtesy Month? That's right, our rudeness has grown to the level where we now have to have a month set aside to remind us of the proper ways to use our cell phones. It is a shame that someone out there, namely etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore, had to come up with a campaign to teach Americans how to respect others when using a cell phone.

Whitmore, and many others including myself, feel we need some type of protocol for using the cell phone. Simple good manners or at the least an acknowledgment that other people are present could do the trick.

Let's face it, most of our social calls can wait for a more appropriate time and place. Some calls, of course, require immediate attention, but most could easily be sent to voicemail. Prior to the cell phone revolution, that is what we all had to do when we were away from home - check our voicemail when we got back.

How difficult is it to utilize the caller ID feature?

Most cell phones have them. By using the feature, you can decide if you really need to take a call at that moment or if you can let voicemail take it and return the call at a more appropriate time.

Most cell phones are also equipped with ringing options that allow you to set your ringing tones to match the environment in which you are. When you are inside a public place, you can use the silent or vibrating options so you do not disturb other people.

In certain public areas such as movie theaters,

churches and libraries, though, it is best to just turn off your cell phone. Talking on the phone in these places can be very disruptive.

And, tone it down. You do not have to let everyone around you hear what you are talking about. Most cell phones are sensitive enough that you could whisper and the person on the other end of the call can still hear what you are saying.

Don't get me wrong, cell phones have their place. People traveling alone and workers who need communication with each other are cases in point.

However, if most of us are going to submit to the dominance of our cell phones, we at least need to learn how and when to use them. If it takes a whole month set aside to remind us of proper etiquette, so be it.

Shawn Doyle is managing editor of The Ironton Tribune. He can be reached by calling (740) 532-1445 ext. 19 or by e-mail to shawn. doyle@irontontribune.com.