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I'm finding it increasingly hazardous to walk on sidewalks these days while weaving through people with their heads plastered to their cell phones. It’s occurring all too frequently now and you can’t avoid bumping into the zombie eyed--phone screen trance that’s all around you. In this sea of robotic technology users, I fear jaywalking may now be a safer alternative to walking the streets!
Commuting in and out of New York City is stressful enough whether you’re driving yourself to work or relying on other ways to get there via taxis, buses, trains, ferries, etc. But a new headache now is just walking on New York City sidewalks! Almost everyone is buried in their androids, iPhones, etc. while walking and trying to accomplish nothing but causing chaos on foot. I understand life is busy, and there’s no time anymore to sit peacefully and check e-mails, but when someone is walking and using their phone, a lot more is going on outside of them that they don’t realize. New York City sidewalks are crowded as it is and with nowhere to maneuver quickly, thus making it hard to get out of the way of someone who isn’t paying attention to their surroundings. Here are the typically spotted behaviors that I’ve encountered of those looking at their phones while walking, and what happens to those around them….
• Red Light Green Light 1-2-3: Walking, then stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, then walking again causing you to stop short in your tracks and your feet to be stepped upon. • Drunk Dialing: Walking sideways and stopping—almost in a drunken state, then straightening up when he/she has tackled your shoulder or collided into your handbag. • Who Done It? Walking, looking up, and walking, looking up some more in such a hurried, freakish pace--that fear washes over you as if this person has committed a crime somewhere. • Sunday Drivers: Walking ridiculously slow as if you’re the only one on the sidewalk • Candid Camera: Face-timing/skyping their relatives and showing them the view around them including those they're banging into on the sidewalk.
I just have to ask these people…Can't the video that you’re watching be viewed when you’re actually sitting down? Can't that e-mail be answered when you return to your office? Can’t you at least have the courtesy to step aside from walking traffic and lean against the wall or area away from others to view your phone? Is all this tuning out--worth trampling over someone's feet, and causing others to spill all their belongings on the ground---just so you can stay forever trapped in media land?!?
It’s scary to see that no one can stay away from their phones anymore. A lot of people have forgotten what it’s like to just keep it simple---before handheld technology. It’s so bad that I notice when I get a manicure, other women there are scrolling through their phones as they switch off hands with the manicurist! I’m thinking to myself—don’t you just want a time-out from all of that social media or whatever else is going on with your phone? Just have time for you and not be attached to another device? Maybe it’s just me—maybe this is just my rant for the week, lol—but in all honesty, there’s more to life than a tiny screen in your hand leading you to a small space on the internet. Look up once in a while---you might find something worth the bigger attention.