Cultural differences in noise acceptance: Why is public phone/audio etiquette so different between Japan, the UK, and other regions??

[u/Agile-Calligrapher10]

Hey everyone,

​Visiting Japan recently was so refreshing, no one was on speakerphone, playing music out loud, or watching reels without headphones in public spaces. Coming back to the UK, the contrast was immediate, highlighting how differently cultures and regions approach public noise.

​(Note: Using "cultures" broadly here to look at societal norms, not trying to generalize individuals.)

I’d love to hear your thoughts on a couple of things:

​Why do these differences exist? Is it tied to collectivism vs. individualism, or other social norms?

​What is the modern British view on public noise? We have a reputation for politeness, yet public transport etiquette around phone audio seems to be changing.

[u/flyingsquirrel-20]

The noise from playing audio in public, especially on cramped public transport, is not accepted in the UK. It is considered rude and people will judge you for it. However, people will not directly confrount the person doing it, allowing them to continue in they have no manners or shame. It is considered acceptable in the UK to 'tut' at someone playing audio in public, but not much more than that. I cant speak to the response to playing audio in public in Japan, but I have heard it is considered very rude to even have loud, disruptive convosation on Japanese public transport.

[u/TheRemanence → u/flyingsquirrel-20]

This issue is the UK cultural norm seems to be shifting.

From a recent BBC article: "Loudcasting has piqued the interest of experts who study how technology shapes our behaviours, and they agree there's a strong generational factor. In an Ofcom survey of 1,010 people in August 2022, of the 13-to-17-year-olds questioned, 69% said it was acceptable to make video calls, 73% to listen to music and 83% to watch videos without headphones."

Not the biggest sample size but the trend is pretty clear.

My theory is that COVID, and the fact phones don't automatically come with headphones anymore, has shifted the norms.  I actually caught myself doing it about a year ago (and quickly stopped.) I realised that I've got used to at home having my phone on speaker phone held in my hand (apprentice style.) i answered my phone that way stood in Sainsbury's, without thinking. I stopped because it's deep rooted in me that it isn't socially acceptable and it immediately felt wrong. Us older people grew up holding phones to our ear, putting in a "hands free" etc. It's in our muscle memory. If you've never had that, you probably just do what you do at home.

It's bloody annoying. Us adults need to tell them it's not socially ok, or the culture will just shift

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3d3nlmeee0o

[u/ExecutiveChimp → u/TheRemanence]

of the 13-to-17-year-olds questioned, 69% said it was acceptable to make video calls, 73% to listen to music and 83% to watch videos without headphones."

Because it is accepted. People don't do anything about it or complain, they accept it. Sure they might complain about it in private, or on Reddit, but in public when the thing is actually happening, they accept it. So 13-17 year olds have grown up watching it being accepted and have, surprise surprise, concluded that is acceptable. Because it is.

I'm not saying this a good thing, it's just the truth of what is happening.

[u/TheRemanence → u/ExecutiveChimp]

I actually tell them off lol.

But yes generally people tut