Public Noise, Loud Phones and Civic Mindset

Why Are We Still So Loud in Public?

Phones on speaker. Videos blasting. Conversations like the whole world needs to hear them.

By Amarjeet Singh @ AJ

Spend enough time in Malaysia at a mamak, coffee shop, train, bus, waiting hall, clinic, food court or even a simple eatery, and you will notice one thing very quickly.

Someone is watching a video at full volume.
Someone is on speakerphone.
Someone is shouting into the phone as if the person on the other side is sitting in Johor while they are in Penang and the line has no signal.
And somehow, while speaking on the phone, the hands start moving too — as if the other party can actually see the sign language being used.

Sometimes you sit there quietly and ask yourself: Why?
Why must the whole restaurant hear your conversation?
Why must your TikTok, drama, football clip or family video become everybody else’s background noise?
Why is an earpiece, earphone or simple courtesy so difficult?

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A Small Habit That Reflects a Bigger Problem

This is not just about noise. This is about civic behaviour. This is about understanding that public space is shared space.

A mamak is not your living room.
A train is not your private office.
A café is not your personal karaoke room.
A waiting area is not your home entertainment system.

Yet many behave as if everyone around them must adjust to them. That is where the real problem begins.

We often talk about wanting first-class infrastructure, modern cities, better public systems and developed nation status. But let me ask something simple:

How can we dream of first-class living if our public behaviour is still so careless?

This is not about rich or poor.
This is not about race or religion.
This is not about urban or rural.

This is about mindset. This is about self-awareness. This is about asking: Am I making life uncomfortable for other people around me?

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Look at Countries With Higher Civic Awareness

In places like Japan, people are also busy. They also use phones. They also commute, eat outside, sit in public places and consume digital content.

But the difference is simple.

They understand that public peace matters.
They use silent mode.
They use earphones.
They step aside to take calls.
They lower their voices.
They respect the invisible comfort zone of strangers.

That is called civic maturity.

It is not because they are weaker, quieter or less expressive. It is because they understand one important principle:

Shared spaces require shared respect.

Maybe that is what we are still lacking. Not technology. Not rules. Not signs on the wall. But simple public respect.

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Questions for Readers

Let us be honest and ask ourselves:

• Why do we feel so comfortable disturbing others in public?
• Why do some people think speakerphone is normal in a packed eatery?
• Why do we buy expensive phones but cannot buy or use a simple earphone?
• Why do we say we want a better society but ignore basic civic manners?
• Why must everyone else listen to your playlist, voice note, drama clip or private conversation?
• Have we become so addicted to gadgets that we no longer notice the people around us?
• Do we even realise how exhausting public noise can be for others?
• Are we teaching our children convenience without courtesy?

These are not small questions. These are questions about the kind of society we are becoming.

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Questions for Phone Users

To every phone user out there, ask yourself honestly:

• Does the whole coach, café or restaurant really need to hear your call?
• Is your video so important that everyone else must stop enjoying their own peace?
• Would you like it if five others around you did exactly the same thing at the same time?
• Why talk loudly and wave your hands around when the caller cannot even see you?
• Why not step outside for two minutes if the call is important?
• Why not put the phone to your ear instead of using loudspeaker mode?
• Why not invest in an earpiece if you are always on the move?

Gadget usage is not the problem. Undisciplined gadget usage is the problem.

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Questions for Venue Owners

Venue owners, café operators, mamak owners, restaurant managers, train operators and public facility managers also need to reflect.

• Do you have simple reminders asking patrons to keep volume low?
• Have you created a culture of comfort, not just commerce?
• Do your staff know how to politely advise customers about disruptive behaviour?
• Can there be soft signage reminding people to use earphones?
• Can you designate certain quiet zones, especially in family or work-friendly spaces?
• Can public transport operators push stronger civic etiquette messages?

Sometimes one small sign can trigger awareness. Sometimes one gentle reminder can shift behaviour. Sometimes culture changes when venue owners dare to set a standard.

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How to Use Gadgets Better in Public

We all use phones. We all watch content. We all receive urgent calls. So this is not about banning gadgets. It is about using them better.

1. Use earphones or earpieces. This is the most basic solution.
2. Keep your phone on silent or vibrate in public transport and eateries.
3. If a call is long, step outside or move away.
4. Lower your voice. The microphone can hear you. You do not need to perform for the whole room.
5. Do not watch videos loudly in shared spaces.
6. Teach children gadget etiquette early.
7. Respect quiet places. Clinics, trains, waiting rooms and cafés are not meant to be noisy zones.
8. Be aware of your surroundings. Civic behaviour begins with awareness.

The best way to use gadgets is very simple: Enjoy your technology without becoming a disturbance to others.

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So Why Are We Still Stuck in This Mindset?

Maybe because too many of us think manners are optional. Maybe because no one corrects bad habits anymore. Maybe because convenience has overtaken courtesy. Maybe because we have modern gadgets but not enough modern civic thinking.

Call it what you want — low civic awareness, public indiscipline, social carelessness, or a backward public mindset. But whatever name we give it, the result is the same:

We make public spaces harder, noisier and more stressful than they need to be.

A nation is not judged only by its buildings, highways, malls and digital apps. It is also judged by how its people behave in shared spaces.

Real progress is not only about owning the newest phone. It is about having the maturity to know when to lower the volume.

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Final Reflection

We can blame the government.
We can blame education.
We can blame modern lifestyles.
We can blame social media.

But some things start with the individual.

One phone.
One habit.
One decision.
One public space.
One simple act of respect.

Maybe the real question is not whether Malaysians are noisy. Maybe the real question is this:

Do we truly understand what it means to live together with respect?

Because development is not only what we build outside. It is also what we build inside our minds.

A first-class nation cannot be built with a careless public mindset. Civic values begin with the smallest actions — even how we use our phones in front of others.

Amarjeet Singh @ AJ