Admit it...

If you are one of the countless throngs of people who has purchased or downloaded a ringtone for your cell phone, you probably already know that there is a certain amount of vanity involved. "What's that?" you say. "What does vanity have to do with how I choose to alert myself when a call is coming in?" Please...who do you think you're fooling?

The very nature of personalizing anything has it's roots in vanity. Small mirrors designed for just one person are known as vanity mirrors. The most pretentious, hipster to yipster to decade long mid-life crisis baby boomer oriented magazine on the planet is aptly named Vanity Fair. License plates that proclaim what must be a message of great importance to other drivers on the road are called vanity plates. And yes, I feel much better knowing that you are 2 HOTFORU...or rather me.

The point is that we, as human beings, are indeed vain. Ringtones are just another form of vain self expression. Did you really want your phone to play "Don't Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls because it makes you smile, or were you concerned that maybe someone in your general vicinity might not recognize you for the hotty you are when your phone rings?

Ringtones are here to stay, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I love ringtones.
Ringtones tell us what we need to know about each other, and do so effectively in less than 3 seconds on average. Imagine knowing a great deal about someone's likes, dislikes and attitude not from a lengthy conversation but from a small midi file of a DMX track.

"Y'all gonna make me ascertain your personality, up in here, up in here."

The bottom line is that while ringtones can be fun and enjoyable, they also say something about who you are, so choose wisely. Many people would say "I could care less who hears my ringtone or what their opinion of my personal preferences or tastes may be". If that were true, why even have ringtones at all? Is there anyone out there who has ever placed a ringtone on their cell phone genuinely for their own listening pleasure? Again...who do you think you're fooling?