In the dining hall, in class and even in the bathroom: These are all places rude cellphone users lurk. They hold up the food line while texting, let their phones ring during lectures and talk and flush at the same time.

According to an Intel Corporation study released in February, 75 percent of participants surveyed said they believed cell phone users are ruder and louder than they were two years ago. The study also reported that more than 90 percent of people in the study said they witnessed five instances of cell phone misconduct daily.

Intel defined cell phone rudeness as using a mobile device while driving, in the restrooms, in movie theaters or on a honeymoon.

This isn’t a surprise to Damien Pfister, an assistant professor of communication studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a research specialty in digital media.

“One of the interesting things in this report is that people tend to believe that other people don’t know how to use cell phones in a proper decorum but don’t see it in themselves,” he said. “They very rarely turn inwards.”

Pfister said the increase of cell phone rudeness could be indicative of a change in cultural norms.

For instance, Pfister said people in the past showed more restraint in public.

This is not because of generational differences, but because of a facilitation of multitasking, he said.

“Mobile phones have created mobile bubbles where people are in their own little world,” he said.

This mobile bubble is created because cell phones are convenient, portable and have made access to the Internet easier, according to Pfister.

“This makes it tempting to whip out your cell phone at any instance,” he said.

Pfister said this can lead to cell phone rudeness in college classes — multiple users who don’t even attempt to conceal their phones.

“People think they can be in a class and listen to a lecture and text simultaneously,” he said.

Michael Overstreet, a sophomore psychology major, said he sees this often.

“I’ve even seen people answer their phones in the back row,” he said.

The response of the instructor varies by professor, Overstreet said.

“I have seen professors put in the syllabus, ‘no cell phones,'” he said. “If they see you with a cell phone they’ll kick you out. I’ve seen that happen.”

Other times the professor won’t care or do anything, Overstreet added.

Rocio Acosta, a senior psychology major, agreed with Overstreet that cell phone use is prevalent.

“I just try to ignore them and tune them out,” she said. “What else can I do? I can’t say, ‘stop texting or talking.'”

Both Acosta and Overstreet have seen instances of cell phone rudeness outside the classroom.

Overstreet said he mainly sees people using cell phones while driving.

“You can tell if someone is on a cell phone while they’re driving,” he said.

Acosta said she mainly sees people text while in line for a service, talking loudly or talking about personal matters.

Pfister said he hopes for a virtuous angle, where people become better with cell phone etiquette and act as models of good behavior.

About 19 percent of study participants admit to rude behavior on cell phones, but say they continue those behaviors because they see other people doing them.

Pfister said this rationalizing leads to a downward spiral in terms of etiquette and manners on cell phones.

“It reminds me of some of the advice I got as a kid,” he said. “Just because other people do it doesn’t mean it’s justified.”

Pfister said there are benefits to using cell phones in public. He specified cell phones acting as information providers in emergency situations, whether personal or otherwise. He also said flash mobs were a creative use of cell phones to engage and communicate with people for civil protest.