All You Need to Know About Prank Calls

When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in the late nineteenth century, he intended to provide humanity with a reliable way to create a method of instantaneous communication.  However, once an invention is made public, people develop a great deal more uses for any invention than the inventor intended.  The telephone is no exception.  No one is sure when the telephone became a device that can be used for comedy.  However, prank calls have become a part of society.  For those who make prank calls, they are a source of comedy and laughs.  For those of us who receive them, these calls, while mildly funny, are a waste of time and a source of massive irritation.

A prank call can be best defined as a call made for the sole purpose of rattling, confusing, and irritating a target which is either chosen specifically or at random.  One of the most infamous examples of a prank call involves a person calling an individual, and asking “, is your refrigerator running?” Naturally, the receiver, who is unaware of the caller's original intent, answers with an affirmative response.  The initiator of the call, then says “, well, sounds like you better go catch it.”  After this response, the phone is hung up, and no further communication is had.  This is the most basic form of prank calls that can be attempted.  Prank calls, like any other joke, have taken on a life of their own. Many people, who engage in this questionable practice, have placed their ideas on the World Wide Web, using sites such as YouTube and others.

There are several types of prank calls.  First of all, there is the harassment and misinformation calls.  These calls can be made to those people who have placed classified advertisements.  These types of calls are intended to occupy people’s time and to generally shock people.  Secondly, these types of calls are also intended to catch people off-balance, and can be made at any time.  However, research has shown that prank calls should be made in the night.   This catches people when they are tired and mentally slow.  These two factors can make for some quite interesting and hilarious telephone conversation.

If a person does not wish to create animosity between themselves and their neighbors, then you might wish to make prank calls to commercial entities, and make ludicrous complaints such the those levied against a toilet paper manufacturer in a call located on the Web titled “Toilet Paper Splinter”, which can be located at http://www.kdkprankcalls.com/prankcalls/index.html. While these calls are hilarious, they are illegal in many states and cities.  Therefore, I must tell you that I neither condemn nor condone making these types of calls.  Do so at your own risk.