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Bongani Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
THE clothes one wears, the music they listen to and even their hairstyle speaks volumes about their personality. So does the ringtone on your mobile device.

Ringtones should be carefully chosen as they speak volumes about one’s personality. What blares out of your cellphone can mean; you are an explorer, have a strong character, are old fashioned, outgoing, adventurous, shy, romantic, sensual or suggest that you need therapy.

According to Forbes.com, research indicates that people judge mobile users based on their ringtone. Earlier this year, United Kingdom-based carrier Tesco Mobile surveyed 1,000 customers and discovered that 21 percent of them thought having a standard ringtone was “uncool.” The survey also concluded that people who use their own recorded voice as a ringtone are self-obsessed, and that users who constantly change their rings might be flighty and unreliable.

According to that survey, if your ringtone is a classic rock tune, you are showing your age.

If your ringtone is a current hip-hop or R&B hit, you are young at heart, but you are not particularly original. Hip-hop ringtones accounted for more than half of the $300 million US market in 2004.

If one’s phone plays the sound of an old mechanical phone bell, then they are not as funny as they think they are. If it plays a theme song to a television show, then you are not going to impress anyone with your intellectual acumen.

When one’s phone never leaves vibrate or silent mode, you may be the kind of important person who cannot afford to waste time answering a phone call right now. Or maybe you just think you’re that important. However, you may also be a considerate and respectful person, the kind of person everyone would like sitting next to or behind in a movie theatre.

If you use the Default “Ring” Ringtone, it means you are too busy for your own good. Take time to slow down and relish life’s little niceties, including the freedom to choose your own ringtones. Pick a few random ringtones just to show that you can change your style.

If you use country, soft rock or oldies ringtone, you are a romantic — a nostalgic, with a keen sense of rhythm. You like to dance (or would like dancing if you’d ever bother to learn). You would rather be a follower than a leader, and you’re charitable.

If you use a jazz ringtone you’re an explorer. You’re anxious to try new things, but do so with a balance of patience. If you use classical music as a ringtone this means you aren’t fooling anyone into thinking that you’re an expert of the finer things in life. (True classical personalities typically choose no ringtone at all.) Enjoy classical music at the concert hall and on your stereo at home, but give your cellphone a ringtone personality of its own.

We spoke to some local celebrities to see if their personalities match with their choice of ringtone.

Jah Prayzah — Contemporary musician — iPhone 6 default ringtone

“Personalising the ringtone to one that I like takes time with the phone I’m using. So I’ve stuck to the one that came with the phone and have been lazy to change it,” said Jah Prayzah.

Mbo Mahocs — Fashionista — R&B song by Rihanna, Kanye West, Paul McCartney: Remix of Four Five Seconds ringtone on Samsung tab

“I use that song because I can relate to its lyrics. It’s a plain song without too many instruments.”

Cynthia Mare — Afro-pop artiste — GTel 5.1 standard ringtone

“I’m boring like that (laughs). I just haven’t had time to change the ringtone so I’m using the default tone. I’ll soon do so. The other ringtone I had was my song which features Jah Prayzah called Murudo,” said Mare.

Clive Chigubu — Comedian — Reggae song: Richie Spice — The world is a cycle — GTel Infinity.

“I concur with the lyrics of the song and I like to listen to conscience reggae. The world is indeed a cycle, what goes around comes around,” said Chigubu.

Carl Joshua Ncube — Comedian — GTel Infinity, X Touch and Sony Experia Samsung pocket standard ringtones.

“I hardly change my ringtones because I don’t actually use my phones. My wife Nelsy, who doubles as my manager is the one who answers my phone,” said Ncube.