Looking back to my previous posts, it can be said that there is an over reliance on technology that has caused an impact towards how the public view and act in a public space. According to an online website, the statistic stated that there was a drastic increase in mobile phones users in Malaysia. Today, almost everyone has a mobile device and more than half is using a smart phone. This phenomenon has not only cause a change in cultural communication but also a great influence on how mobile phone is slowing becoming a social norm. In this post, it will focus on how smart phones are causing effects on the public space.
Mobile phones were first invented to create an easier way of communication among people. It allowed a faster and direct contact towards one another that not only made business managing easier but also brings friends and family living far apart closer as well. When smart phones were invented, the main point of it was to provide convenience. Sadly, that has caused some changes in social norm. Yes, it is still providing better and faster connection from one another, however the space between the public and users are changing.
A research done by Tali Hatuka has found that the smart phone users have regarded the public space differently as compared to mobile users. These users are walking around the mall or to the train stations in their little bubble, thinking that they have their own privacy by detaching themselves from the real world. Also stated, it has caused people to be unaware of their surrounding, easily forgetting things they have walked pass 10 minutes ago. Moreover, smart phone users are more likely to run through their phone for directions instead of asking from strangers. These issues must be aware of as it is causing people to lose their human touch and downgrading their awareness of the surroundings.
Picture shows people using their smart phones in an open area
Picture showing a man taling on the phone publicly in a bus
I have come across multiple people walking around public spaces such as the mall or even taking a walk in the park with their phones in their hand. Even when I am in a public transport such as the KTM, people detached themselves from everyone around them by playing games on their phones. Some even converse on the phone as if they were at home, ignoring strangers who are 2 feet way from them who can listen to the whole conversation. All these are signs of how people today no longer understand how their own private space is actually a public area which they vilely overlook.
Reference
- Lapis Lazuli Light. 2009. The Situation Of Mobile Phones And Base Stations In West Malaysia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.lapislazulilight.com/Mother_Earth/Index_Lapis_News_Mother_Earth_Article_13.html. [Accessed 27 October 13].
- Emily Badger. 2012. How Smart Phones Are Turning Our Public Places Into Private Ones. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2012/05/how-smart-phones-are-turning-our-public-places-private-ones/2017/. [Accessed 27 October 13]
Mar Lynn 