Eyes down, minds elsewhere, ‘deadwalkers’ are among us

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Here is a new topic: Eyes down, minds elsewhere, ‘deadwalkers’ are among us. Please read and comment on that.

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Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/eyes-down-minds-elsewhere-deadwalkers-are-among-us/2015/09/27/a3ad1da2-51bb-11e5-8c19-0b6825aa4a3a_story.html

Believe almost all of us knew that watching cellphones or listening to music when crossing the road is dangerous, while why we still do it frequently ?
First reason is that we believe our ability to multitask "pay attention to cars and the traffic situation " and thump up to friends in WeChat. Second reason is we never think the accident will occur to us, be safe by a fluke. Third is everyone is doing so, why not me ?
It's easy to say you've known the truth, while you can't say understand it until do it.
Be connected with the environment and people, dance in this moment,alert myself and start from myself.

It’s really very dangerous being a mobile zombie when you’re driving, walking across road or doing sth need your high concentration. Why there’re still a lot of people would like to do that to running a meaningless risk? Why we’re controlled by some equipment that we created? Why we can’t let our brain just focus on “Now” and “Here”?
Nowadays a lot of people are always complaining about that we’re too tired, too busy, and no time to have a break. But when you have time not doing anything or do one thing, we still would like to do “multi-task” maybe that could make us feel not so bored or feel highly connected with others.

I was used to be a zombie when I walked. Like most other zombies, I usually listened to music, talked in Wechat or just checked the updates from friends in blogs. To tell the truth, the most of the information I payed attention to was not important. And I finally changed this style once I find that smart phone is not worth so much attention. Then I start to try getting rid of my smartphone, I try to put away my cellphone when I stay with my family and go across the street. However, as a typical multi-tasker, I really suggest we can perform better when he gets rid of the cellphones.

Obviously speaking, it’s extremely dangerous to look at your smartphone while walking just as the article mentioned. A person might be killed for doing so because he doesn’t notice certain vehicle running towards him. On top of that, looking at the smartphone when you are walking does harms to the city’s public transport and others as well, since the driver who is controlling a car running toward you might choose to stop all of sudden; as a result, another traffic accident might happen accordingly.

We all understand the harms of being a smartphone zombie, but if have an idea about the reasons and how to avoid? One important root cause is due to the changes on our life style. With the development of mobile and social media, our life style has become fragmented, says, we will utilize pieces of our time to deal with our task or communicate with others. As what we have learnt from the lesson, it is not good for a person to be multi-task worker since the monkey brain will negative influence on focusing and completing jobs efficiently.

Considering of the life safety and working efficiency, let’s get rid of the bad habit to keep watching our smartphone and concentrate on the road that you are walking on. You could be better person when you become Down-To-Earth.

Very interesting, we can see "digital deadwalkers" everywhere in our daily life, they are sitting, walking, even driving watching the cell phone or the ipad, not care what happens around them, the word "digital deadwalkers" exactly descripted these people. It is not only about safety, but also about not care, they do not care about people around them, not care interesting things happened around them, even not care dangerous around them, I have to say, pathetic! Ali's course gave us good training on how to focus and think with useful mind, meditation is a good practice.

This article focused on the danger to "physical" safety (get hurt or even die) due to the addiction to the mobile devices, such as cellphones and tablets. For sure it's very dangerours when people's concentration is just on the tiny screen and the potential risk in the nearby enviroment (on the road, or even at home) is totally ignored.

However, this kind of mobile devices addiction does more harm to our "mental" health. Addicted on the mobile devices, people live just in their digital world, pay attention to neither the people nearby nor what is happening, don't communicate face to face with each other, don't care about their family and eventually lose their concentration and adaptability.  

As told by Prof. Ali, we are in a commercial enviroment of VUCCA who calls for ACCUV. We need raise our "antenna" to listen to the enviroment and incease our adaptability. Addiction to mobiles get peopole distracted, it's a kind of multi-tasking. We need concentrate on what we are doing, instead of multi-tasking.

Smartphone make our life more convenient. But at the same time, it is involve in our life too much. It seems that we're very familiar to do multi-task jobs, like driving the car with listening to the music, walking with playing the mobile games. We don't think there is any wrong with this. Actually this kind of multi-task jobs are not good for our brain, and very dangerous. Considering for the life safety and have more time to do the real thinking, keep away with mobile device unless we really need it to help us to figure out the problems. Do one thing at one time.

Imagine a day without our cellphones, that day will be devastatingly inconvenient. We are not able to reach our friends, we can not enjoy the music while waiting for the subway, we suffer from information missing anxiety. However, I'm not ashamed to admit that i can not live without my phone, which is a delighted digital toy and an efficient communication tool. However the line between addicted to phone and make good use of phone is vague. Cellphones bring us a easier life with bigger social network but we are also slaved to charge our phone and compulsorily check notifications every day. We can not just abandon cellphones and live a life back to 20th century. Maybe turn of the notifications, mute the cellphone when you are with friends, let the phone die of no battery once a while to enjoy isolation.

Digital devices make us connected all the time. Yes, they make communication easier and faster, but at the same time they make us being interrupted all the time. It seems that more and more people are being addicted to digital devices, we can predict more and more accidents caused by using digital devices. The safety issue has become a serious social problem. Specific regulations should be implemented to avoid more accidents happen. Operation System of digital devices should include the function to limit the acess when people are driving or walking.

Mobile devices are encroaching our fragmentary time, distracting us and making us relying on social media too much. But we can train ourselves to get rid of the addiction. One of my latest experience is when I was preparing my GMAT exam in November last year. At first, it made me anxious to stop checking my mobile phone and I couldn't help to use it. I felt that I have lost the ability to fully concentrate on something for a while --- even for 20 minutes. By continuous trying, I finally could study for a whole day with my cell phone off. Meanwhile, it was surprising that I didn't feel uncomfortable but had a sense of achievement. Focusing on only one thing at a point of time makes the thinking efficient.

Reading this article reminded me of the promise we made on the social contract before the lesson of professor Ali Farhoomand that we are not allowed to use any electronic device (our smartphone) during the class.

In this era of information explosion, the appearance of smartphone really changes the lifestyle of people. It seemed to make a lot of things easier and bring the convenience to our lives with numerous APPs installed, on the other hand it occupied most of our fragment time and distract our attention from time to time. By the reminder of smartphone, people could be easily disturbed and distracted even on the important occasion, let alone walking on the street which is too dangerous as mentioned in the article.

The same lesson I learned from professor Farhoomand and this article is to focus my attention and try not to be distracted by the smartphone. We could enjoy the convenience the smartphone brings to our life, but are not supposed to be its slavers. To put it in a more generic term, instead of being a multi-tasker, being focused is a more precious characteristic in current business world.

Ok...guilty here!~~~

I have to admit that one time after the MBA class, I was reading the wechat messages and cross the road in front of Fudan Uni, and a truck soaring by just about to hit me!~~~~~ wow.....so dangerous!!!!

Electronics has really turned us into zombies and I should really start ignoring all these energy consuming apps that suck up my energy!

We have to admit that cellphones and other electronic devices do disturb a lot in our daily life. Actually, not just adding more dangers in public traffic, cellphones even damage people's emotions and moods. After, being such distracted is a new thing for all people and all societies. People are trying to handle them and failed a lot of times, as so many traffic disaster tragedies has shown. But the thing is, till now, we don't know why people still stick to their electronic devices, we don't have a satisfactory explanation of how this kind of thing happen, how it develops and how to control it. Electronic devices are continually changing our lives, similar to what computer and internet has done. Some people blame or even curse the internet but it keeps going up and wider. This may also apply to cellphones. Before we can fully know the mechanism and get a new solution, we have to dance with this dangerous "pet", keeping a sweet but fatal relationship with each other.

SUN Yeqing wrote:Mobile devices are encroaching our fragmentary time, distracting us and making us relying on social media too much. But we can train ourselves to get rid of the addiction. One of my latest experience is when I was preparing my GMAT exam in November last year. At first, it made me anxious to stop checking my mobile phone and I couldn't help to use it. I felt that I have lost the ability to fully concentrate on something for a while --- even for 20 minutes. By continuous trying, I finally could study for a whole day with my cell phone off. Meanwhile, it was surprising that I didn't feel uncomfortable but had a sense of achievement. Focusing on only one thing at a point of time makes the thinking efficient.

I'm quite familiar with the feeling SUN mentioned above. Referring to the mobile devices, especially the smart phone, I think the smart phone is so "SMART" that people rely on it too much. Here I do not attempt to deny the importance and convenience of smart devices for our lives. As more and more useful APPs are emerging and changing the way we live.
According to my personal experience, I was playing a game called "Boom Beach" on my iphone. No matter when I was walking, having meals, taking the subway and even working or studying, I just can't help to activate my phone to log into this game, even though there was nothing I can do, and I also wanted to look at it. I was suffering this for a long while. This doesn't only means "dangerous" like walking in the street, it means the waste of my time. Later I have to take action to delete this game from my phone.
However, there actually have some useful and meaningful applications created by engineers that help us to improve the effiency of our life and work. So I believe the negative side of things is still there, while the key point is how you can utilize the positive side of things when you're at the right time.

Do right thing at the right time. It's what I want to share with all of you. Back to our business world, just as Professor said: the competition is there, and the question is how you plan to face it and how you plan to defeat it.

There's psychological suggestion on "safety" to follow the others. Wearing earphones and holding the mobile devices seem so natural that almost everybody have the similar experience. The unexpected danger is always hiding behind the group psychology. To keep a sharp mind, we need challenges on conventional thinking pattern of Why Not and So What if the others are doing the same thing. However, sometimes we are so immersed in the virtually connected world while it is a closed one. To jump out of the trends make you look like an "ET" to act differently as those "deadwalkers". Conscience to do the right thing is greater than to do the thing right. Safety is an overwhelmingly option than social needs. The evolvement to be "multi-tasking" for human beings should be slower than the upgrade of techniques and subsquent behavior changes

Nowadays in Shanghai, Every time when you get on the metro bus, you will found that almost 99% of the passenger were  putting their eyes fixated on that tiny screen of the smartphone.... Is the smartphone make people smarter, or it was made to remove the smart from people?

We are living in this world, and we are linking with the world every seconds, everywhere... but too much focus on the electronic device break your link with the world, and your world would become just a tiny screen....

It's again the example of the dange of multiple-tasks. Concentration without any distraction is more and more difficult for the people now. Smartphone do changes our life but also bring us the new threat of security. More and more people died or injured when walking in the street because of the phone. So now I made some rules for myself "No cellphone when walking'. Besides, when I'm together with my family and I will also say no to Cellphone. I don't want to waste my precious time on phone, not my important families. It really helps me to avoid the disturb of the smartphones.

Yes, it's another example of the danger of multi-tasks, and another example of the disadvantages of the electronics devices, especially smartphone in recent years.

As Prof. Ali said in the CBI class, the electronic devices make us to be zombie, and no body can do multi-tasks well, and we need to concentrate.

For electronic devices, especially the smartphone, it does bring us more goodness, such as stream-less connection, but it also make us to be addicted to it. For us, we need to be aware it's pros and cons, and to balance between it's pros and cons.

For multi-tasks, I do think that we can do multi-task simultaneously, it's hard to switch quickly. We need to concentrate on one thing for a while, then may switch to other things. If we are walking, we need to concentrate on walking.

It's very danger for the situation of this article stated, the government may make more strict law to forbid this kind of behavior. For example, first, forbid using smartphone when driving, just like we forbid driving after drinking wine. Then extend to the walker.

In today's digital Age, with the development of electronic devices, everyday we are submerged in all kinds of information-rolling news, e-mails, telephone, weibo, blog, WeChat and etc. And it seems that we are always in a state of anxiety--being afraid to miss any information. We pick up and unlock our smart phones to view the message, though we know the information is being "tweeted" at any time; we keep brushing our friends-circle not to miss any gossip; we are interested in reading endless Network Subscription Numbers to enrich our talking points and make us look more knowledgeable and interesting. Only WeChat, this application has already consumed a few hours of our each day.

While the truely sad thing is that most of us still ignore its hazards by addicting to mobile devices.

I strongly suggest that we should spend more time with our families, friends, colleagues, or even our client and conduct physical communications, not virtual ones. Look at their eyes and listen to them attentively to show our care, understanding and respect. Furthmore, we should try to make the time lying on a chair to contemplate or meditate without any disturbance. Learn to be focus and sense the current moment. I would say it could be one of the most cherished moment in our daily life, which is also very critical for our creativity. Because under the siege of daily interference and business which need to be done, there will not be any innovation come to our mind. Only when we are free, the seed of innovation will grow. An open mind with concentration is the source of inspiration.

Smartphone technology brings people not only convenience, but also potential ricks. It might distract people from noticing what is more important. I see quite a lot of smartphone users check their emails or wechat every 10 minutes or less, not because they heard a ringtone or felt a vibration, but rather because they cannot help themselves to do so. It seems that sliding to unlock the screen is a mechanical movement, quite a few users just do so unconsciously without being aware of what they are going to do with the phones in their hands. Sounds horrible.

Several times I get bumped into by the people who didn't look at where they were going, it's annoying, isn't it? Such habits are likely to endanger those people's lives someday. I think there should be signs, as a start, even fines in some specific districts especially for crowded areas, to prohibit using smartphones while walking.

Richard Mok wrote:Smartphone technology brings people not only convenience, but also potential ricks. It might distract people from noticing what is more important. I see quite a lot of smartphone users check their emails or wechat every 10 minutes or less, not because they heard a ringtone or felt a vibration, but rather because they cannot help themselves to do so. It seems that sliding to unlock the screen is a mechanical movement, quite a few users just do so unconsciously without being aware of what they are going to do with the phones in their hands. Sounds horrible.

Several times I get bumped into by the people who didn't look at where they were going, it's annoying, isn't it? Such habits are likely to endanger those people's lives someday. I think there should be signs, as a start, even fines in some specific districts especially for crowded areas, to prohibit using smartphones while walking.

Quite agree with your idea. Under certain circumstance, using laws to restrict behavior is very useful for safety

Think about it, the digital world is inevitably coming, only choice is we leave it alone, but why we cannot do it, cause we replace the old way of communication with current digital or internet connection. No phone, no internet, no friends. Recently got interesting data, 37% chinese social network users would like to turn on the GPS or ads pushing service on their phone, we are reluctantly turning it off, so means we are eagering to communicate but hide us behind the little brick. As this is the profile shown for the Chinese user, probably similar like the global users. Why not think it in a creative way, just let it be, and consider how to make the using phone safe on the road, remember the Hololens or other breakthrough tech which will replace the phone, ultimately this will not be the problem, people do not need to drive, cause we have automatical driving cars, we do not need to eye down on the small screen, perhaps glasses or other apparatus will make the walking easier, you see everything on your eyes instead of on your phone.
We alway get worried about the distraction, but look at in the historical development, it is just piece of cake, putting too much efforts on this will not change the profiles on numbers only slightly on certain group of people, like you and me.

I suddenly realized that i am such a "digital deadwalkers"! I am definitely the one who is always fixated on my smartphone while drivint and walking. It's really dangarous.

Every coin has two sides. Smartphone do have brought much breakthourgh techonologies, such as social app, online purchasing, information sharing. It helps us a lot on obtaining information more easily. It enabled to connect our "fragment time pieces". But we need to be alerted that we could not be indulged in this so-called "convenient" tool, dont' let this "zombie weapon" invade in our lifes.

Just like professor Ali mentioned on the class, "life is more about experience". It's the right time for us to put aside our smartphones/ tablets, join in the interesting conversations with friends, feel the sunshine and breath throughly, experience the outside world by heart. We are the master of our true life.

This article reminds me the scene I saw in metro today. I was reading a novel through Kindle, when I looked up, I found everyone was lower his head and concentrating on smartphone. This scene actually is very familiar, it happens everywhere - railway station, restaurant, shopping mall, subway station, buses, even on the road. People either look at smartphone or take a call when they walking across the street. Are they really busy? I hardly think so.

It’s more dangerous if you touch smartphone when you are driving. Again, this is also a very common phenomenon.

People get distracted, their eyes are always down on their smartphone, they barely talk to each other. Smartphone looks like the most attractive stuff in the world? Is it true that social media or on-line game are so attractive? People seem to have fun by looking at social media rather than enjoy a real conversation.

I think the root cause is people get used to be distracted. They can’t be focus. They even don’t know how to get along with themselves. Meditation is a way to practice focus and calm down. People should also get away from internet and be back to the REAL world.