Defining the Mobile Age With Mobilisms

Handango had a contest back in September called "Handango's Word of the Week" which allowed people to send in words that captured our mobile lifestyle and culture. These words are called Mobilisms.

The things that people came up with were truly amazing and funny as hell!!  We now have an extensive list of words and meanings to define our mobile lifestyle more accurately and in a way that non-mobile people can't relate too.  Hmmm, I've survived the days of Valley Girl lingo, Street Slang, Ebonics, and now at 36 years old I have a new lingo to inflict on people!! 

The following list of words were taken from Handango's website and the ones that I liked the most are highlighted in pink (of course).  Fellow mobilists, please educate yourself with these terms!!!  There will be a pop quiz on Monday and test on Friday!!

Mobilisms

Stem Cell Technology: stem cell tech·nol·ogy n. Practice of using the good bits from one or more phones to replace the bad bits on a broken phone. Example: Reconditioned or refurbished phones are the result of stem cell technology. (Richard Hodges)

Cellphony: cell·phon·y adj. Pretending to be on a cellphone call to avoid other unpleasant situations. Example: I am usually in a cellphony mood when I have to wait in line by myself. (Frank Calise)

Textual Harrassment: tex·tu·al ha·rass·ment n. Persistent, unsolicited textual advances where the purpose of constant bombardment is to elicit purchase by the recipient

BlackBerryization: black·ber·ry·i·za·tion n. Successive conversion of mobile device users into BlackBerry users. (Audrey Proto)

ExtraMobicular Activities: Ex·tra Mo·bic·u·lar Ac·tiv·i·ties n. Mobile device uses other than making phone calls and checking e-mail which can include creating your household budget and watching music videos. (Mary Marshall)

Celler's Market: cel·ler's mar·ket n. Mobile market in which mobile buyers have limited choices of affordable devices adn plans; cellphones, accessories, and calling plans prices are extremely high. Example: Calling plan prices have really gone up recently - it must be a celler's market. (Wanda Taliaferro)

Plagiaringism: pla·gia·ring·ism n. Act of hearing and then copying someone else's ringtone. (Gabriel Dayan)

Cell Shock: cell shock n. Emotional distress caused by unexpected usage charges on the monthly cellphone bill. Example: Heidi went into cell shock when she saw her cell bill from her trip to Puerto Rico. (Charles Curley)

WiFiFoFum: wi·fi·fo·fum n. Ability to sense undocumented, free WiFi access locations. Jayne's WiFiFoFum is so acute that she can hook into the internet - any time, any place. (Jack Tipshus)

Cellaoke: cell·a·o·ke n. Art of singing to one's ringtone. (Gabriel Dayan)

Mobilexia: mo·bi·lex·i·a n. Compulsion to send text messages using no fully spelled words. Mostly affects teenagers; totally imcomprehensible to the average adult. Example: 10s ne1? Gr8! cu l8r k? (Paris Jones)

Corporate Jumping Bean: cor·po·rate jump·ing bean n. Ringing cellphone that has been left unattended and on vibrate mode. Example: Julie forgot her cell when she went to lunch, so we all witnessed the corporate jumping bean as her mom kept calling for a hour. (Kyle Bellamy)

Mobiquility: mo·bi·quil·i·ty n. Peace that comes from knowing that you don't need wires to be "plugged in." (Dano Smith)

Hypertextion: hy·per·text·ion n. High blood pressure resulting from an intense, back-and-forth text messaging session. (Gerry Se)

Narcellistic: nar·cell·is·tic adj. Characterized by the self-imposed need to check one's cell phone incessantly for missed calls.

Polymobilist: poly·mo·bil·ist n. One who possesses multiple devices for the same or simliar function. An instance of this: work cell phone and personal cell phone.

Cell Styler on the D.L.: cell-styler-on-the-D.L. n. Person driving and talking that tries to hide their cell phone when passing by police. (John Ford)

Fashion Phone-con: fash·ion phone·con n. Person who wears their mobile device on a belt or around their neck. (Ashley Walker)

Celligent: cell·i·gent adj. Having knowledge of the various wireless options available. See also, celligence. Example: When in the market for a quality mobile device or service plan, it's a good idea to shop with a celligent friend who can make sure that you get the best deal for what you need. (Brian Witt)

Ringnorant: ring·no·rant adj. Lacking knowledge of one's own cellphone. Example: My ringnorant boss doesn't know how to set up his Contacts, so he's constantly looking up numbers in his rolodex. (Joy Yamello)

Celluccessorize: cell·u·ces·sor·ize v. Act of furnishing one's cell phone with faceplates, flashy batteries, lanyards, or anything else which customizes the device. Example: After my teen daughter got her first cell phone, she spent the next several months celluccessorizing it to be uniquely hers. (D. Mike Ahmadi)

Flip-off: flip-off v. Act of ending a cellphone argument by abruptly snapping your phone shut. Example: Steve couldn't handle the nagging while driving, so he gave Mary the flip-off. (Randal Bird)

Texture: tex·ture n. "Rough" language in a text message. Example: I couldn't show my company's IT guy my BlackBerry until I deleted all the texture from messages with my buddies. (Jim Gerace)

Fonopoly: fon·op·o·ly n. Domination of one brand of cellphone or device within the same room, office,or home. Example: All these Buy One Get One Free deals and Friends & Family calling plans are creating a mobile environment ripe for a fonopoly. (Saqib Noor)

Cellebration: cell·e·bra·tion n. Mass use of cellphones in one location to share the news of the same event. Example: The news of the baby's arrival was noted by cellebration of family members in the waiting room. (Jessie Thompson)

Mobilophile: mo·bil·o·phile n. One who cannot live without the latest mobile communication gadgets, accessories, and services. Antonym: Mobiphobe. (Ben Sutton)

Celluology: cell·u·ol·o·gy n. The study of the "cellular species" in order to discover the link between the first cellphones and the plethora of all-in-one mobile devices available today. (Shoaib Dalvi)

Cell-Esteem: cell-es·teem n. Feeling of pride in one's cellular device resulting from paying big bucks for the latest and greatest; cell-respect.

RoddenBerry: rod·den·ber·ry n. Any mobile device that is customized to sound, look, and/or feel like a Star Trek prop. Example: His RoddenBerry let out a quick series of Communicator chirps to notify of a new voicemail message. (Raphael Salgado)

Phonifobia: phon·i·fob·ia n. Abnormal fear of being without one's cell phone or other mobile device for any period of time.

Phonatic: phon·at·ic n. Person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm for phones, usually upgrading devices every 3 months to by the latest and greatest. Example: That new phone of yours isn't even for sale in the U.S. yet - you're such a phonatic! (Nick Cornaglia)

Cellofeign: cell·o·feign v. To pretend to have a cell conversation, when, in fact, there is no one on the other end; the "caller" may only be listening to voicemail or absolutely nothing at all. Example: With the fast talking and abundant hand gestures, Nate seems to be on an important client call- but Nate's been known to cellofeign. (Wanda Taliaferro)

e-ddiction: e-dic·tion n. Compulsion or over-powering urge to check for e-mail and voice messages constantly. (Susan Torrico)

Handheld Up: hand·held up n. Loss of data due to an accidental or spontaneous device hard reset.

Dystextia: dys·text·i·a n. Inability to decipher the meaning of text messages. Example: With all the abbreviations, I couldn't figure out the text message from my boss - I had to claim dystextia. (Lauren Leach)

Herdberry: herd·ber·ry n. Large group or flock of people with the tendency where, if one pulls out a device, the others seemingly follow suit.

WiFive: wi·five n. Airborne hand slap celebrating accomplishments due to mobile freedom. Example: The room erupted with WiFives when Smith relayed that he had closed the Jones deal during a lay over at the airport. (Dano Smith)

Celliterate: cel·lit·er·ate adj. Unable to read or write cellphone and text messages. (Cece Sinclair)

Schizophonic: schiz·o·phon·ic adj. Obsession with having a different ring tone for every caller.

Textastic: text·as·tic adj. Satisfaction or contentment following the receipt of good news via text message. (Sandy Gans)

Mobiquette: mo·bi·quette n. Set of guidelines for when and where one could and should answer and make mobile phone calls. Example: Acceptable business mobiquette does not include taking and answering your phone during meetings. (Brad Kemp)

Mobile Mojo: mo·bile mo·jo n. Personal mobile power exuding from one's selection of device, software, and games.

Cellery: cell·er·y n. "Snappy," one-word-at-a-time text message conversations. Example: hi. sup. nada. yeah. later. bye. (Jim Gerace)

Mobicopia:  mo·bi·co·pi·a n. Abundance of mobility. Example: Today's mobile devices and applications bring a complete mobicopia of options for even the most demanding of lifestyles. (Jaime Rivera)

Phonnoying: phon·noy·ing adj. Causing irritation through loud talking on a cell phone in public. See also, Mobinoxious.

Cellebrity: cell·eb·ri·ty n. One who talks so loudly on cellphones so as to draw attention to one's self. (Jessie Thompson)

Nodjust: nod·just v. To attempt to improve cellular reception during a call by turning one's head incrementally and systematically.

Cellu-Lite: cel·lu-lite adj./oxymoron Cellulite being fat tissue, and cellu-lite designating a lightweight cell phone. Example: If your arm gets tired during long calls, you need a cellu-lite phone. (Bryan Canter)

Pointdiction: point·dic·tion n. Compulsive need for point- or reward-generating programs in order to create feeling of fulfillment when purchasing.

Hi-Bye: hi-bye n. For those who can't just let their cellphones ring, that short conversation to say you can't talk right now. Example: She called me in the middle of dinner, so I gave her a hi-bye. (Lauren Leach)

Metro-Cellular: met·ro-cel·lu·lar n. Lifestyle centered around mobile connectedness to one's environment, compounded by urban living and/or WiFi at every Starbucks. Example: WiFi hotspots and freespots are a major part of the metro-cellular existance. (William Fitzgerald)

Blueblood: blue·blood n. One who uses only Bluetooth devices, as a matter of reputation and pride.

Ringilepsy: ring·i·lep·sy n. Sudden, recurring, and automatic acts of checking one's phone whenever a ring is heard, even when you know it's not your ringtone. Example: Someone's cellphone started to ring during the conference; before we could think, practically the whole auditorium had a moment of ringilepsy. (Chris Kingham)

Revuseless: re·vuse·less adj. Writing unrelated or useless reviews using fake names.

Bluetooth Fairy: blue·tooth fair·y n. Fairy credited with serendipitously enabling wireless connectivity after earlier attempts failed for no apparent reason. (Lee McConnell)

Cellf-Centered: cellf-cen·ter·ed adj. Being so caught up in a cellphone conversation that you forget what else you're doing. Example: I had to wait in line endlessly behind this cellf-centered shopper that kept making the clerk repeat the total amount due. (Gary Narberes)

WiFido: Wi·Fi·do adj. Point when wireless service becomes so important and integral in daily life that your device and/or service is your new "best friend." Example: Traveling so much for my new job, I've gone totally WiFido and my Treo is the only thing that keeps me connected to friends, family, and life outside the job. (Dano Smith)

Annoyring: an·noy·ring n. Universally irritating ringtone. Example: When Lisa leaves her cell phone at her desk, the rest of the office must endure Lisa's annoyring "Flight of the Bumblebee" - chorus after chorus after chorus. (Alec Bell)

Ringmates: ring·mate·s n. Persons compatible in ringtone choice and use.

WiJack: wi·jack v. To hijack someone else's wireless network signal for personal use. Example: My mother was WiJacked last week by her neighbor; we had to secure her network with password protection after that. (Matt Cameron)

Ringchronicity: ring·chro·nic·i·ty adj. Receiving a call at the precise moment when you were about to "send" a call - to the same person who is calling you. See also, ringchronized. Example: We must be ringchronized because I was just calling you right now. (Paula H.)

Phonelanderer: phone·lan·der·er n. People who ask to borrow your cell phone for a quick call but end up using all your minutes.

Futility Belt: fu·til·i·ty belt n. Belt carrying 3 or more devices therefore rendering ineffective and inefficient usage of all devices due to the time it takes to select a device for a function.

Obscellete: obs·cell·ete adj. Out-moded or out of mobile fashion. Example: Sarah is so obscellete that it looks like she's talking into a shoe.

Cellulight: cell·u·light n. All the useless junk that takes up space on your phone. Example: Man, I really need to get rid of some of that cellulight. (Jeremy Hall)

Flirtxt: flir·txt v. To send playful and/or romantic overtures by way of text messaging.

Bricktastic: brick·tast·ic adj. (1) Describes the huge brick that is sometimes a device; often confused for a blackboard eraser. (2) Refers to old school convergence devices that require a special hip pack to carry them around.

Non-COMMformity: non-comm·form·i·ty n. Attempt to get around the rules to switch off one's mobile device by putting the device on silent mode and vibrate. Example: As a non-COMMformist, John refuses to turn off his cellphone even at weddings and during plane rides. (Alan Phillips)

Flip Happy: flip hap·py adj. Achieving state of calm via the repeated opening and shutting of one's clam-shell design cell phone.

Mobilati: mo·bi·la·ti n. Elitist group of mobile device users. Example: Since I got my Vertu Signature device, I'm officially a member of the Mobilati. (Jim Gerace)

Cellufibbing: cell·u·fib·bing v. Lying in such a manner as to lead someone to believe that a hang up is your cell phone's fault, i.e.: blaming a lost signal after actually hanging up on your nagging girlfriend. (Mike Ahmadi)

Misundersync: mis·un·der·sync v. To miss an appointment because your device was not updated with the last minute meeting memo or e-mail.

Textimony: text·i·mon·y n. Recognition and use of text message content as evidence in court room testimony. Example: The textimony from Martha's own PDA will guarantee the guilty verdict against her. (Dano Smith)

Ring'n'Seek: ring·n·seek n. Variation of game "Hide and Seek" where you've misplaced your cellphone and have to dial your own number to figure out where your phone is "hiding." (Ash Mobyman)

PDA-trician: PDA-tri·cian n. Someone who specializes in and knows PDA's inside and out; like a doctor, they can fix any problem on your PDA. Example: You'll have to contact the PDA-trician to heal that kind of (Palm) bug. (Adil Vellani)

Ringtrocity: ring·troc·i·ty n. Arrival of a phone call at an atrocious time such as as a wedding, funeral, or meeting with the CEO. (Andrea Payne)

Thyping: thyp·ing v. Typing with your thumbs, necessary for text messaging and writing emails on mobile devices. (Benny Estrada)

Voxymoron: vox·y·mo·ron n. Individual who calls with the sole intention of leaving a voicemail; may go as far as hanging up if someone actually answers the call. (Raphael Salgado)

Hypocellemia: hy·po·cell·em·i·a n. Condition in which a person's ability to operate a cellular device is extremely deficient. See also, hypocellemic. Example: My grandma has hypocellemia and can't get the keyguard off her phone. (Akisha Williams)

Celltimental: cell·ti·men·tal adj. Characterized by emotional, a.k.a. corny, behavior towards one's cellphone. Example: You better not talk about cellphones around Mike. He's totally celltimental and will start a hour long conversation about his Treo. (Pixis Khanna)

Decellerator: de·cell·er·a·tor n. Person who suddenly and significantly decreases driving speed to accommodate a cellular conversation.

Cellsourceful: cell·source·ful adj. Demonstrating effective and creative use of one's cell phone. Example: Using one's cell phone in place of a lighter at rock concerts.

Scringe: scring v. To cringe at the fact that you just marked your device screen with a pen instead of a stylus.

Career Cellicide: ca·reer cell·i·cide n. The destruction or ruin of one's own career by the ringing and answering of one's cell phone while meeting with one's boss.

Cellulie: cell·u·lie v. Act of stating something untrue via cellphone. Also, being able to lie because you have a cellphone. Example: Whenever I'm running late, I cellulie as soon as I get in the car and call ahead to say that I'm almost there. (Anthony Reiter)

Technochondriac: tech·no·chon·dri·ac n. Individual who is convinced that every minor snafu on their device is caused by a virus. Example: Bob was up all night downloading patches for his BlackBerry again - what a technochondriac! (Tim Itoi)

Phonesia: phon·e·sia n. Particular form of memory loss suffered by those who leave cell phones on subways, in taxis, etc.

Ringdemonium: ring·de·mo·ni·um n. Noisy excitement of dozens of cell phones powering up after the plane has landed.

CoMobiling: Co·Mo·bil·ing v. Sharing a cellphone calling plan with another person. Example: With all the Friends & Family plans out there, my boyfriend and I decided to take our relationship to the next level by CoMobiling. (Wanda Taliaferro)

WIFInated: wi·fin·ated adj. Blissfulness resulting from the availability of wireless internet access in public.

Free-stylur: free-styl·ur n. Pocket PC user who prefers fingers for the touch screen instead of the stylus. (Trevor Wilkin)

Comments

[Martin Little]

This is most amusing, Darla! :-D

[Matt Crandall]

Awesome Darla, thanks for posting that! I wasn't even aware of this contest, or I would have throw my own in (and the name of my blog):Textonomous (Textºonºomºus): the act of trying to text on the D.L., at work, while driving, etc, and not paying attention to whats going on around you... in situations where driving, you can add on the word 'swerve' to get the phrase "I was doing the textonomous swerve when the cops saw me.":)

-olly

P.S. don't delete my comment this time LMAO ;)

[Kyle Bellamy]

Hey there,

Just wanted to laugh a little and tell you that I stumbled on this entry when I googled myself to see if I was showing up anywhere. And there in the list was your blog with my entry from Handango. Thanks for a little lift to my day!

Kyle

[Susan Torrico]

Hi, Darla:
I have an "eddiction" to email and if anyone else suffers withdrawal symptoms as much as I do when email is down, we need to start a support group!

Did you know you can schedule free automated email alerts to remind yourself to to do things at specific times on www.OnCellRx.com
Pretty cool and really useful.