lifestyle

What you shouldn't use for your cell phone wallpaper

17 Comments
By Karen Masuda

Are you curious about people’s cell phone wallpaper? Have you ever found a colleague or acquaintance looking over your shoulder at your wallpaper? Are you dying to know the wallpaper of the person sitting next to you at work? Well don’t worry, other people’s wallpaper is a natural curiosity, and according to Irorio, a popular Japanese news blog, the wallpaper you choose is very telling of what kind of person you are.

With that in mind, a survey was conducted of 362 males and 506 females to find out the major turn-offs for men and women concerning wallpaper choices.

The results are ranked according to gender, in order of distastefulness along with the percentage of men and women who picked them. The wallpapers most likely to lose you the respect of your friends and colleagues are ranked as follows:

The biggest wallpaper turn-offs for men were:

  1. A picture of yourself - 17.8%

  2. Anime characters - 15.5%

  3. Famous people in the entertainment industry - 11%

  4. Boyfriends or girlfriends - 7.5%

  5. Husband or wife - 7.3%

The biggest wallpaper turn-offs for women were:

  1. A picture of yourself - 20.7%

  2. Anime characters - 16.9%

  3. Boyfriend or girlfriend - 9.9%

  4. Famous people in the entertainment industry - 8.6%

  5. Husband or wife - 7.4%

First place, both men and women chose self portraits as the biggest turn-off for wallpaper. A picture of yourself only shows how narcissistic you are.

Second place, animation characters, were also the same for both men and women. Animation characters for adults shows the immaturity of the wallpaper’s owner. The general feeling is that adults should get over their dependency on animated characters. Among animation characters there was particularly a strong opinion against those anime characters popular with pre-pubescent girls.

Third place for men and fourth place for women, was famous people in the entertainment industry. Women felt more strongly against pictures of young idols, and gravure idols, than men, but even men thought that it showed a disconnection with reality. Some women found it somewhat disgusting to find a gravure idol posed sexily on someone’s wallpaper.

It also appears that boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, and wives are not a good idea as subjects of your wallpaper either. The reasons given were that it stirred up feelings of anger and resentment, unpleasant for people who don’t have anybody. In other words, people could get jealous of your being able to show off your partner. The idea that it isn’t appropriate for the work place also came up.

There were also comments against wallpaper choices outside the ranking:

Pictures of children – because you have to find something nice to say about them.

Pictures of inspirational places of good fortune and pictures mystical in nature - because they are spooky.

Pictures that come with the cell phone – Using these pictures shows too much indifference to the world around you.

Having absorbed these statistics, many people reacted with a cry of despair, "So what IS alright to use as wallpaper?"

Changing your wallpaper is a good way to get a bit of different scenery in your life, it can make the difference in your mood. If you are at a complete loss as what to use, there are many sites for free cell phone wallpapers. Maybe it is not such a good idea to be too worried of the effects of your wallpaper on other people, there must be more pressing matters in your life. Before you start worrying about whether your wallpaper is alright, try wearing your choice of wallpaper with pride, you simply can’t lose THAT many friends over wallpaper. You are much more than your wallpaper.

Source: Irorio

© RocketNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.


17 Comments
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If anyone has a strong opinion about the wallpaper on someone else's phone, I suggest you read the 3 words on my own wallpaper: "Get a life."

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I'd add cutesy cutesy pictures of chihuahuas (or similar rats on ropes) to the turn off list. However, what people set as wallpaper is really none of my business. Whatever makes you happy. I'm with @Frungy. I like to have a picture of my kids as wallpaper. Seeing their happy faces gets me through unpleasant commutes and the Cool Biz office.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I've put a a big close up of my extended middle digit on mine...... that will send a message to any over-shoulder peekers.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

When you pick up a WP you're thinking of what other people will think of your personality, unconsciously..

I don't have a cell phone, but when I choose a wallpaper for my computer, I'm thinking consciously about how nice it will be to look as while I'm working. No one else except occasionally my husband sees it, and I already know what he thinks of me (I think...) His computer has much of the same wallpaper, yet I wouldn't say his personality was the same as mine. We just happen to be grandparents to the same beautiful little girl who's our WP star. What others think doesn't matter, though I would have my own opinion of anyone who came fussing over wanting to know what my wallpaper was.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

cleo at Sep. 18, 2012 - 10:11AM JST What has it got to do with anyone else what a person uses as wallpaper?

A lot. When you pick up a WP you're thinking of what other people will think of your personality, unconsciously..

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

It also appears that boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, and wives are not a good idea as subjects of your wallpaper either. The reasons given were that it stirred up feelings of anger and resentment, unpleasant for people who don’t have anybody. In other words, people could get jealous of your being able to show off your partner. The idea that it isn’t appropriate for the work place also came up. Pictures of children – because you have to find something nice to say about them.

I use pictures of my fiancee and 2 daughters as my wallpaper because they are the 3 most important girls in my life and it always makes me happy when I see their beautiful faces. So why should I care if someone holds resentment because they don't have that. Someone who have a negative opinion on my family because of that belief wouldn't have a impact on my life or choice of wallpaper.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Pictures of children - because you have to find something nice to say about them.

Haha, that is brilliant and also true.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I'm forced to use a picture of my mother as my iphone wallpaper - she gets terribly upset if I don't!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The only thing on that list I can understand as a turn off is is Famous people(creepy stalker) and an image of oneself(egoistical much?).

"Mind your own business," haha!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

How about minding your own business and not snooping over someone elses phone in the first place

7 ( +7 / -0 )

From now on I will only use wallpapers of myself, manga character, and spooky scenery or symbols. And of course celebrities. Will have to fake the "other half" and the kids. Should be a lot of fun!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

People who look over your shoulder at your cellphone wallpaper are creepy anyways, so whatever they think is simply hypocrisy.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

A picture of yourself

Boyfriends or girlfriends

Husband or wife

What's wrong with these???

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Oh dear...are people really concerned about other people's wallpaper? I personally don't think it is a huge issue unless it is of an illicit nature and you like pulling showing it off. I think that what magazines people read out in public can sometimes be more offending and more easy to see than someones little cell screen.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

What has it got to do with anyone else what a person uses as wallpaper?

7 ( +7 / -0 )

I wouldn't date someone who was judgmental enough to be turned off by what I had on my wallpaper anyway so I don't care but REALLY? Images of a girl/boyfriend or husband/wife is a turn off? The only thing on that list I can understand as a turn off is is Famous people(creepy stalker) and an image of oneself(egoistical much?). Being an anime fan, I see no issue with have an anime character as my wallpaper. Mind your own business.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Pictures of children – because you have to find something nice to say about them.

This is my wallpaper, and frankly I don't care what other people think about it. It's my cellphone and I put my kids' picture there because it makes ME smile every time I look at my phone.

Frankly people who are so obsessed with what makes other people happy/think they're cool are fundamentally immature. It smacks of a "junior high" mindset where being "cool" is more important than your own happiness. That's just idiotic.

It's my phone, I'll put things on it that make me happy. It's not like I go around shoving my phone in everyone else's face, in fact if I'm pulling out my phone during a conversation with someone else then I'm already acting like an ass and what I've got as my wallpaper is just a secondary consideration.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

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