Signs alerting pedestrians using smartphones on the go are being displayed in the most crowded areas of Seoul City [Photo by Park Sae-jin]
[FOCUS] New warning stickers installed to alert 'smartphone zombies'
By Park Sae-jin
New warning stickers have been installed in the most crowded spots of Seoul to alert "smombies" who are exposed to traffic accidents because they are immersed deeply in smartphones while walking.
From Thursday, city officials started putting up the stickers in 50 places mainly on the threshold of crosswalks and crowded sidewalks, carrying a message of safe walk that advise pedestrians not to be engrossed in smartphones.
The Seoul city government vowed to put up more stickers in other areas to protect "smombies (smartphone zombies)" which refer to pedestrians on the go, looking down with their eyes fixed on smartphones.
Pedestrians are immersed in smartphones near the Seoul city hall. [Photo by Park Sae-jin]
The warning stickers reflect a fast rise in smartphone addiction in South Korea, one of the world's most wired countries, that has caused various social problems and dangerous side effects.
Smartphone addiction has been a major social issue as it caused traffic accidents and new lifestyle-related diseases such as the forward head posture known as "Turtle Neck Syndrome". Degenerative arthritis in thumb joints has been commonly reported.
Smartphones have been distributed fast in South Korea over a short period, from 3.8 percent in 2010 to 78.7 percent last year, according to data from the Korea Communication Committee.
A government survey has classified 4.56 million of South Korea's population (around 51.6 million) as smartphone-addicted. Among them, 29.2 percent were teenagers. Road accidents involving smombies have become a serious problem. The number of smombie accidents soared from 437 in 2009 to 1,111 in 2014.
Korea Transportation Safety Authority's data showed the risk of accidents involving pedestrians increased by 76 percent when they use smartphones. Some 96 percent of those surveyed said they have used smartphones while walking and 23 percent of them had experienced a near-accident situation.
Footage of 'human-deer' traffic accidents stirs a controversy online [Courtesy of Youtube]
"Camaro", a user from South Korea's online community Bobaedream, insisted the smombies should be responsible. "If a person has a death wish, he should die alone."
But another user named "Potato Cake" defended the smombies. "It's the drivers who should pay attention to the pedestrians. Some people including children tend to pay less attention to the road situation regardless of whether they are staring into smartphones or not."
A Chinese woman falls into a canal while using a smartphone. [Courtesy of YouTube]
Smartphone zombies have become an international issue. A 15-year-old woman was killed in Munich earlier this year by an electric tram while using a smartphone. In December last year, a 28-year-old woman fell into a canal in China, while staring into a smartphone. Later she was found drowned in chest-deep water.
Various tactics have been worked out in other countries to stop the use of smartphones while walking. Australia's New South Wales State Government installed built-in traffic lights onto the pavements. People staring down at their smartphones can see the change in traffic lights. The US state of New Jersey issues tickets of 85 US dollars to people sending text messages while walking.
Individuals are also trying to alert smombies from getting into accidents. Jacob Sempler, an artist-designer in Sweden, designed signposts in the streets for smartphone zombies after realizing he was also a smombie.
Signposts designed by Swedish designer Jacob Sempler are installed around the city of Stockholm to reflect people using smartphones on the walk. [Courtesy of Jacob Sempler's Twitter]
Aju News Park Sae-jin = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
