Smartphone zombies: when you are walking down the street, you use your phone

A smartphone zombie is a person who uses his phone to navigate the streets of the city. A smartphone zombie is a person who looks at his phone while walking down the street. It is risky to focus solely on your phone when moving around the city. For example, you may be hit by a car if you don't pay enough attention to the crosswalk. Or, you might just bump into other passers-by.

Apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram attract people's attention not only during their free time or at work, but also when moving around the city. In addition to the risks involved, staring at your phone while walking makes it much more difficult to see your surroundings and everything around you.

The dangers of smartphone zombies

As a pedestrian, you need to be careful about sidewalks and streets no matter how well you know your city. Although the things that are happening around you don't generally happen at lightning speed, you still need to not only look ahead, but also be aware of what is happening on your sides to spot potential danger.

This is what makes becoming a zombie smartphone so potentially dangerous.

As cars began to gain popularity in the early 1900s, there was a large awareness campaign about all the dangers of being distracted by pedestrians. It was the first time that the word "jaywalker" appeared.

In those days, the term referred to villagers who, upon arrival in the city, would admire huge buildings, monuments, crowds of people, etc.

This lack of attention, coupled with a lack of knowledge of how to behave in these places and the serious threat to life and health posed by a car, has resulted in an increase in the number of accidents. Meanwhile, today our attention is very easily distracted by something completely different than stunning city landscapes: phones turn us into smartphone zombies.

Attempts to prevent the problem of smartphone zombies

For example, in Spain, many campaigns have been conducted to address the dangers of focusing on using the telephone while navigating city streets. In the summer of 2013, a very interesting pedestrian road sign was erected in the small town of San Javier.

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It said, œLook up, passer-by. Be careful while walking. Your message on WhatsApp can wait. " Similar road signs appeared in central London, along with other tools to keep pedestrians seated in smartphone screens.

It sounds unbelievable, but looking at your phone while you are walking can realistically lead to an accident as it limits peripheral vision.

Here is another interesting example. In Taiwan, there is even talk of punishing pedestrians who cross the road while looking at their phones. While it might seem like an exaggeration, it would definitely help prevent accidents. The idea reached parliament after many people were hit by cars, looking at phones instead of the road.

Technological measures in the fight against smartphone zombies

There are several apps you can download so you don't turn into one of these zombies. Transparent Screen is one of the most interesting but surprising tools. Uses the phone's camera to show a street view on the screen. Thanks to this, you can browse content on your smartphone and keep an eye on what is happening around you.

Some phone makers are starting to use these kinds of apps as built-in functions for mobile devices. However, however clever and effective these types of solutions may seem, they can also make the problem worse.

Most of all, they can encourage people to use the phone in the street by creating a false impression of increased security. Why is this deceptive? If only because you have to focus even more on the device, not on the surroundings, when you simultaneously watch the video on the street and browse the news on your smartphone.

It is also not sure that you will look at this video. Unfortunately, it's very likely that you will just focus on viewing your content on your phone.

People should just consciously avoid using telephones while navigating the city streets. If you really need to look at the phone when you're in town, stop for a few moments to do so. Thanks to this, you will take care of your safety and the health of other passers-by.