There is a famous story about British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He was writing a poem when he was interrupted by a knock at the door. This was an age before telephones. Someone was delivering a message. When Coleridge got back to his poem, he had lost his inspiration. His poetic mood had been broken by the knock on his door. His unfinished poem, which could otherwise have been a masterpiece, would now never be more than a fragment. This story tells how unexpected communication can destroy an important thought, which bring us to the cellphone. The most common complaint about cellphones is that people talk on them to the annoyance of people around them. But more damaging may be the cellphone's interruption of our thoughts. We have already entered a golden age of little white lies about our cellphones, and this is by and large a healthy, protective development. "I didn't hear it ring" or "I didn't realize my phone had shut off" are among the lies we tell to give ourselves space where we're beyond reach. The notion of being unreachable is not a new concept--we have "Do Not Disturb" sign on the doors of hotel rooms. So why must we feel guilty when it comes to cellphones? Why must we apologize if we decide to shut off the phone for a while? Now time alone, or a conversation with someone next to us which cannot be interrupted by a phone, is something to be cherished. Even cellphone devotees , myself usually included, can't help at times wanting to throw their phone away, or curse the day they were invented. But we don't and won't, and there really is no need. All that's required to take back our private time is a general social recognition that we have the right to it. In other words, we have to develop a healthy contempt  for the rings of our own phones. A cellphone call deserves no greater priority  than a random  word from the person next to us,though the call on my cellphone may be the one-in-a-million from Steven Spielberg--who has finally read my novel and wants to make it his next movie. But most likely it is not, and I'm better off thinking about the idea I just had for a new story, or the slice of pizza I'll eat for lunch. What does the writer think about people telling "white lies" about their cellphones?
It is a way of signaling that you don't like the caller. It is natural to tell lies about small things It is basically a good way to protect one's privacy. We should feel guilty when we can't tell the truth.