Distracted Walking???

Okay, so we've all likely seen and heard about people texting or looking at their phones while walking..."Distracted Walking", right? Some cities have even proposed laws against it. And, I will admit it can be infuriating to have some knucklehead stumble into you cuz he / she is not paying attention to anything but their phone! Drives me nuts!

BUT...this is about something a little different, a phenomenon I've noticed happening more and more frequently lately. I generally try to not be "that guy" and stay off my phone while walking (oh, and I don't text at all, pretty much ever). Occasionally though something urgent will come up work related which requires at least a quick glance at my email. I've begun to notice people will deliberately step in your way when they see someone on a phone.

At first I just thought it was my imagination, so I decided to pay more attention. So I started just holding my phone in my hand, but not looking at it. Over the past couple weeks I've had about two dozen people do exactly as described. Crusty looks every time, almost like they were disappointed about getting busted. Then I just started watching people in crowded places in general. Same thing! Someone is on a phone and someone else will almost go out of their way to get on a collision course with that person. It's weird.

It's almost as if some people just WANT to collide with someone so they can bitch at someone.

Thought I might post this here to see if anyone else has seen the same thing.

Weird phenomenon to be sure. Maybe there's something to it though.

Almost reminds me of someone intentionally "brake checking" a car behind them in a way. Good way to get into a road rage situatuon.

I wonder if we're now going to start having "Walking Rage" incidents now.

Seems like there's a lotta rage out there.

Some won't like the findings. www.psychologytoday.com...

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

The rule is,I see you on your phone so I move once since you are obviously too busy for walking like a human.
Since they are blind and walk in front of me one more time...I give them one more pass.
If they step in front of me again because they are on a phone....sorry,you get a shoulder check and a darwin stare.

If they get more than a shoulder check...thats a them problem and not a me problem.
In a world of idiots...there is no guilt.

I don´t step in the way of a spyPhone zombie but i don´t make way if somebody is not watching where he runs to.

Could have been a thought of some of these people maybe too, that they thought i jumped in their way, because they don´t notice anything outside of their spyPhones.

But i don´t do that, i just don´t have the desire to make way for people that don´t care about what is going on around them, if they walk on the streets.

a reply to: Plotus

Interesting article!

That may well be what I observed (with the observer bias). For me though I didn't really feel any blame, but more just the weird almost seemingly intentional actions of people. It was more curious than anything. I guess because it seems so overt.

I chalked up more to people being sick and tired of phone zombies and wanting to make a statement about it.

I work in a VERY crowded and stressful environment anyway, so I'm probably paying a lot more attention to what I'm doing as well as others. Most of the public is already agitated about something, so I'm mindful of that.

It's just kind of funny though when people get this.."I'm gonna take that guy on his damn phone out!!!"...look on their faces.

Not an issue for me really because I'm not "that guy", but they're definitely out there.

I'm glad I live far out in the country because that level of crowd pressure must take a toll after a while.

a reply to: DerBeobachter

Society as a whole is just a lot more rude now...on all sides.

Just another observation which led me to study this behavior a little closer...

If I do have to respond to something on my phone, I will always stop and move to a wall or behind an obstacle to be out of the way while I'm typing. Even then I've had people walk up on me and act all huffy like I'm in their way or something (when I am totally out of the way).

It's just strange.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Personally, I can't be in public without having a heightened sense of who's around me, at all times. I guess I'm one of those types expecting a goon hiding behind every door, ready to smash me over the head with a flower pot. Frankly, I do not understand how people conduct themselves in public. This isn't even scratching the surface of innate human territoriality and dominance games that seem to go unnoticed by some people. I think I tune in on these things a lot and it makes my life miserable, so I gravitate toward a nocturnal lifestyle, which minimizes my contact with most people.

I will say that a brake check can be necessary, though. Here in my area we have an infamous section of curvy, downhill highway. There are accidents on this stretch every day because lots of drivers, especially people new to the area (which is a lot, in recent years), are oblivious to their following distance. The stretch of road is one of the major entry points to the city from the heavily populated suburbs to the west and you have to be ready to stop on a dime. All it takes is a split second and you're one of the noobs calling triple A from the side of the road, or worse. I don't care if feelings get hurt over my brake check when I'm protecting my property. If they rage over that, they might earn my rage back.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

It's almost as if some people just WANT to collide with someone so they can bitch at someone.

That sums up pretty much everyone right now.

Stay in your damn cell phone lane bro.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
Almost reminds me of someone intentionally "brake checking" a car behind them in a way. Good way to get into a road rage situatuon.

Nah man, tailgating in the first place is a good way to get into a RR sitch.
My husband likes to yell out the window as they pass all flustered, "If you're going to ride my ass, I demand dinner and a movie FIRST."

However, he is often guilty of being the foot traffic gridlock culprit in busy places attending to work texts as soon as they come in. I've lost count of how many times I've had no qualms with chastising him for it while dragging him out of the way of others, "Least you could do is move out of the way before being a pain in everyone's ass."

Train yourself that when the text tones/buzzes/phone rings, that it's your signal to get out of the way of others so you can attend to it. It's not that goddamn hard, really.

I think your thoughts on the subject are correct. I've notice it along with people ignoring or deliberately stepping into the path of a disabled cart. My wife has limited mobility so I get her a store cart and take it to her. On several occasions someone will do just that. During one confrontation I informed the other party I was about to arrest them for disturbing the peace and assault. After I pulled out my phone and dialed 9-1 their whole tune changed. amazing and my best,

a reply to: booyakasha

Sadly these are more common throughout China as the WeChat generation spend more time buried in their phones than enjoying life.

It's a sad occurence that I see daily at lunchtime, table full of coworkers eating together with their phones out WeChatting away but not talking to each other. My boss and I have a rule about this when we go to lunch (we are both director level staff, same department) that we don't touch our phones at lunch or when in meetings.

I've had to restrict my daily running to the early morning to avoid these types when running in my neighborhood.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I've begun to notice people will deliberately step in your way when they see someone on a phone.

Thought I might post this here to see if anyone else has seen the same thing.

I've had a *similar* problem... but not with holding a phone. I have had people just generally walk through me, cars drive at me when I have to walk where there is no sidewalk, and I am on the shoulder, and people who like to just pretend I simply do not exist. It went from damn annoying to downright infuriating to now, I just simply do not like to walk anywhere by myself.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

You pay too much attention to your surroundings, you are not an "other", are you?


-Philip K Dick, electric dreams-

Anotherform of distracted walking is Golf

Dam golf ball

You mean ‘working while walking’.
I din’t do it for fun or socialising, when you see me glued to my phone walking down the street I’m working.

Should I stop working now?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Situational awareness is something I take very seriously. I am never JUST looking in a shop window, or JUST cleaning my sunglasses, or JUST looking at my phone. I use reflections, shadows, footsteps, every tool visual and audiological to know where I am relative to every thing and everyone around me, at all times. It is just good sense.

One thing you will never see me even LOOK like I am doing though, is crossing the street with my phone screen lit. That is just damned stupid, especially given that there are an awful lot of people with driving permits in my country, who should not be allowed to have one at all, and on top of that, drivers with no permit or insurance either, who bat out of hell it all over the place with no concern for a soul.

When it comes to people in the street, and walking, I take advantage of peripheral vision to avoid such conflicts as you are talking about if I have my phone out, but more often than not, I prefer to have my phone in my pocket when actually under motion, especially in town center. There have been thefts performed by cyclists with light fingers, literally taking phones out of peoples hands as they text or speak into them, so the fewest seconds of exposure to that risk, that I can manage, the better. Also, making sure my phone is more often in the pocket than out of it, leaves my hands free to deal with any matters arising, which might ruin the flow of my day.

I find using a phone overmuch in town, to be an unhelpful drain on my awareness as well, to be honest. I like to maintain as close to 360 degrees of awareness as possible, for as much of the time as possible. I feel its a good way to reduce the likelihood of my becoming a victim of crime, and puts me in a better position to be able to protect others from that likelihood as well.