It only takes one bad Apple – staring at your phone is bad for society

New research shows that just a handful of pedestrians tapping away on their phones can disrupt the flow of a whole crowd of people, writes Rupert Hawksley

Humans organise themselves in ‘lane formation’ – unless people start using their phones (Getty)

If you’re reading this on your phone, while walking down the street – stop! Put the phone away. It’s OK, I won’t take it personally. It’s for your own good, although if you’ve already stopped reading, I guess you’ll never find out why. Perhaps the other readers, the sensible ones, who are still in bed or enjoying a cup of coffee, can pass the message on later. It’s an important message, too. But seriously, stop reading now.

New research published in Science Advances shows that just a handful of pedestrians tapping away on their phones – ie, not looking where they’re bloody well going – can disrupt the flow of a whole crowd of people. 

Scientists from the University of Tokyo and Nagaoka University of Technology arranged for two groups of 27 people to walk towards each other down a closed-off street. No phones; no collisions. This shows, the researchers explain, that humans adhere to “a rich variety of self-organising behaviours, as do other animals, in phenomena such as birds flocking and fish schooling”.

They describe this as “lane formation”, though the phrase I think they’re looking for is “common courtesy”. Because when three people from one group were asked to walk at the front and text simultaneously, things started to go awry. Unable to predict what the phone users would do, those behind them, as well as those from the oncoming group, were forced into making sharp turns and irregular movements, which had a ripple effect through the whole crowd.

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Inevitably, this led to jostling and confusion. To take it a stage further, in a real world situation, one assumes this situation might trigger irritation, harrumphing and, if you’re anything like me, a hastily written text to a friend, saying how cross I am with those selfish phone users blocking my way. You see the problem. It’s these minor inconveniences that stack up and turn a good day into an iffy one.

Of course, none of this really matters at the moment, as most of us are working from home. But perhaps this is a small change in behaviour we can adopt when restrictions ease and the commute returns. Because for many of us, travelling to and from the office is the only time when we don’t actually have to stare at a screen – and yet we do it anyway.

Now you should feel doubly shamed, since your phone addiction is not just rotting your brain, it is having a negative impact on whole crowds of people. In fact, you might say it has a Nokia effect.

Yours,

Rupert Hawksley

Voices senior commissioning editor