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Why Read This
What Makes This Article Worth Your Time
Summary
What This Article Is About
In this satirical piece, Jug Suraiya observes that 148 years after Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in March 1876, we’ve effectively “uninvented” its original purpose. While Bell’s first call to Thomas Watson lasted ten seconds and aimed to enable human conversation, today’s mobile phones serve every function except making actual voice calls.
Suraiya humorously documents how modern smartphone etiquette has made voice calling socially unacceptable—worse than talking with your mouth full. Instead, people rely on text messaging, while voice calls are associated primarily with spammers, property dealers, insurance sellers, and cyber scammers. The article concludes with a wordplay: using phones for calls isn’t telephony anymore—it’s “tele-phoney.”
Key Points
Main Takeaways
The Original Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell’s 1876 invention enabled the first voice communication between rooms, lasting just ten seconds with nine words.
Uninventing the Purpose
Mobile phones now serve as cameras, calculators, calendars, GPS devices, and computers—everything except devices for speaking to people.
Social Taboo Around Calling
Making voice calls is now considered intrusively impolite and ill-mannered, prompting people to use text messages instead.
Who Still Makes Calls
Only spammers, property dealers, insurance sellers, and international cyber criminals make actual phone calls in today’s digital landscape.
Text Message Dominance
People now send abbreviated text messages rather than calling, avoiding the intrusion of real-time conversation with busy contacts.
Cybersecurity Concerns
Accepting calls from unknown numbers can lead to phone hacking, bank account draining, and credit card fraud by international criminals.
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Article Analysis
Breaking Down the Elements
Main Idea
Technology’s Ironic Evolution
The article’s central thesis is that modern society has fundamentally reversed the telephone’s original purpose. While Alexander Graham Bell invented the device to enable voice conversation, contemporary mobile phones are used for virtually every function except their namesake activity—making phone calls. This ironic transformation reflects broader changes in communication norms and digital etiquette.
Purpose
Social Commentary Through Humor
Suraiya writes to entertain while simultaneously critiquing modern communication habits. Through satire and wordplay, he highlights the absurdity of how technological advancement has paradoxically made us avoid the very form of direct human connection the technology was designed to facilitate. The piece encourages readers to reflect on their own communication patterns and social norms around technology use.
Structure
Historical → Contemporary → Satirical
The article follows a clear progression: it begins with historical context about Bell’s 1876 invention, transitions to documenting contemporary smartphone usage patterns, and concludes with satirical observations about spam calls and cyber scams. This structure creates a before-and-after comparison that emphasizes the dramatic shift in how we use communication technology, building toward the final pun that encapsulates the entire argument.
Tone
Humorous, Satirical & Observational
Suraiya maintains a lighthearted, satirical tone throughout, using exaggeration and wordplay to critique modern communication habits. The comparison of making phone calls to “breaking wind in a crowded elevator” and the final “tele-phoney” pun exemplify this approach. While clearly humorous, the observations about spam calls and cybersecurity threats ground the satire in genuine contemporary concerns, making the piece both entertaining and socially relevant.
Key Terms
Vocabulary from the Article
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Tough Words
Challenging Vocabulary
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To reverse or negate the original purpose of an invention, making it serve opposite or entirely different functions than intended.
“Almost a century and a half later, we’ve effectively uninvented Bell’s invention, or at least, uninvented its original purpose.”
To eliminate the need for something by providing an alternative solution or removing the underlying requirement that made it necessary.
“Your phone also tells you the time, which obviates wearing a watch.”
In a manner that interrupts or disturbs someone’s privacy, space, or activities without permission, causing unwanted and inappropriate disruption.
“It’s considered not merely intrusively impolite, but downright ill-mannered, worse than talking to someone with your mouth full of food.”
A social or cultural prohibition against certain behaviors or actions that are considered unacceptable, forbidden, or deeply inappropriate within a community.
“The taboo about making calls is reinforced by the fact that the only people who do make calls are spamsters, or worse.”
Individuals or entities who send unsolicited bulk messages, typically for commercial purposes or fraudulent schemes, via phone, email, or messaging platforms.
“The taboo about making calls is reinforced by the fact that the only people who do make calls are spamsters, or worse.”
Completely, thoroughly, or utterly; used to emphasize the extreme or absolute nature of a quality or characteristic, often negative.
“It’s considered not merely intrusively impolite, but downright ill-mannered, worse than talking to someone with your mouth full of food.”
Reading Comprehension
Test Your Understanding
5 questions covering different RC question types
1According to the article, landline phones have become extinct like the dodo bird.
2What does the author suggest is the most common use of mobile phones today?
3Which sentence best explains why people avoid making phone calls according to the article?
4Evaluate the accuracy of these statements based on the article:
Alexander Graham Bell’s first telephone call in 1876 consisted of nine words and lasted less than ten seconds.
Mobile phones are primarily used for making business calls and professional communication.
Accepting calls from unknown numbers can potentially lead to bank account hacking and credit card fraud.
Select True or False for all three statements, then click “Check Answers”
5What can be inferred about the author’s attitude toward modern communication technology?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Suraiya uses “uninventing” to describe how modern society has reversed the telephone’s original purpose. While Alexander Graham Bell invented the device specifically to enable voice conversations between people, contemporary mobile phones serve virtually every function except making actual phone calls. This ironic reversal—where technology abandons its founding purpose while retaining its name—represents a form of “uninvention” where the essence of the invention is negated even as the physical device evolves.
This hyperbolic comparison emphasizes how socially unacceptable voice calling has become in modern etiquette. Just as passing gas in an elevator violates social norms about appropriate public behavior, making phone calls is now considered “intrusively impolite” and “downright ill-mannered.” The exaggeration serves a satirical purpose: it highlights the absurdity that the telephone’s original function—speaking to people—has become taboo, replaced by text messaging to avoid interrupting others during meetings, work, or private moments.
Bell’s nine-word message—”Mr Watson, come here—I want to see you”—demonstrates the telephone’s original purpose: enabling direct human connection and requesting physical presence. The article uses this historical moment as a contrast point to show how far we’ve strayed from telephony’s founding vision. While Bell used the phone to summon his associate for face-to-face interaction, modern users actively avoid voice calls, preferring asynchronous text messages. This transformation from facilitating human connection to avoiding it represents the central irony of the piece.
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This article is rated Intermediate difficulty. While the vocabulary includes some challenging terms like “obviates,” “intrusively,” and “taboo,” the writing style is conversational and accessible. The satirical tone requires readers to recognize irony and hyperbole, understand implied meanings, and appreciate wordplay like “tele-phoney.” These interpretive demands—combined with the need to track the comparison between historical and contemporary communication practices—make it appropriate for intermediate-level readers developing inferential comprehension skills.
As a former associate editor with the Times of India, Suraiya is known for his satirical commentary and accessible writing style that makes complex social observations engaging for general readers. His regular columns—Jugular Vein and Second Opinion—blend humor with cultural criticism, using wordplay and everyday scenarios to illuminate broader societal trends. This article exemplifies his approach: transforming a mundane observation about phone usage into pointed commentary about technology, etiquette, and how innovation can paradoxically undermine its own original purpose.
The Ultimate Reading Course covers 9 RC question types: Multiple Choice, True/False, Multi-Statement T/F, Text Highlight, Fill in the Blanks, Matching, Sequencing, Error Spotting, and Short Answer. This comprehensive coverage prepares you for any reading comprehension format you might encounter.
