Have you ever noticed how attached you become to your ringtone unconsciously? It is a love-hate relationship that develops over time. You can use the right ringtones to grab attention, and it doesn’t even cost anything!
Choosing Ringtones
We usually tend to choose ringtones that are very distinctive no matter where we are. As soon as we hear that sound, we reach into our pockets or our bags to take a look at our phones. Today, all of us love to experiment with multiple ringtones to make them personal. Matching ringtones playing together in a public space have become a less frequent phenomenon thankfully.
However, that was not the case even a few years ago when phones came with the option of just one ringtone. You had a few ways of changing it to make it more recognisable for yourself, and none of them was completely hassle-free. Hence, the default ringtone seemed like a better choice. The problem of phones sounding identical was that a large number of people would start searching for their phones on hearing the familiar tune in a public place.
Back then, the most popular default ringtones came from tech giants like Samsung and Apple. The former released Whistle and the latter introduced Marimba. Both of them could be heard everywhere for a while. So when Apple announced that they were going to come up with a new default ringtone for their phones, the reaction was mixed.
Some people thought that Marimba should not be replaced because of its iconic nature while others welcomed a change after so long.
How do Ringtones Become such a Big Part of our Lives?
One of the most common theories in Psychology when it comes to behavioral tendencies is the Pavlov’s Dog theory. Just as the dog learnt to react instinctively on hearing the sound of the bell, we also end up associating our ringtones with the social validation. If a phone rings, that means there is someone who needs your help and attention at that moment. All of us love to think we are needed, but we start feeling important as soon as hear the ringtone even before we have heard what the matter is.
Once you get into that pattern, you will begin anticipating the ringtone, and that will increase its importance in your life.
You might have noticed that all ringtones have a few things in common. Firstly, they can be very annoying to hear at times. It is not a pleasant sensation. This is because they are composed in a manner which makes them discordant. The notes are not made to harmonise with each other, which is why the tone always sounds off-key. Secondly, none of them are bad enough to be completely ignored.
The ultimate purpose of a ringtone is to attract your attention. The grating mixture of notes will put your brain to attention. But hating your ringtone is not a wise choice either, which is why companies try to make a little pleasant.
The new iPhone ringtone will be just as unharmonious as the previous one, that is for sure.
