Final answer:
Contacts are typically displayed alphabetically by the Last Name field in the Content pane. This default alphabetical sorting helps in easily locating contacts. Users can change the sorting order if they prefer.
Step-by-step explanation:
Contacts are initially displayed in the Content pane alphabetically sorted in ascending order by the Last Name field. This is a standard convention in most email and contact management systems. When contacts are sorted alphabetically, it becomes easier to locate a specific contact by scanning down the list from A to Z. Should the user's preference differ, it's often possible to sort by a different field such as first name or company, but the initial default sorting by last name is the most common setting.