Cell phones are taking our lives. Smartphones have made dramatic advancements in the last few years and have infiltrated many people’s daily lives. Recently many people have voiced their opinions and their concerns with the high-tech life we have begun to live and the technology that upholds it. These technological upgrades serve, at first, a beneficial purpose for instant information, but now it is impeding our ability to perceive outside information such as oncoming traffic. Now it is common that we check our cell phones rather than the flow of traffic before crossing the street at a busy intersection. I don't know if it’s because we, as a generation, have become hubristic and believe that traffic will stop at our will, or if it is because we are so consumed by our online life that we forget about our real life. However sad this may be, I hope it is the latter. However, there are people working to solve the problem of phone addiction and this puts my mind at ease.
Jacob Sempler is a twenty-nine-year-old Swedish artist who just recently became an activist against cell phone over-usage. He first recognized his addiction to his smartphone when he was staring at his phone while crossing the street and was almost hit by a car. After his traumatic experience, he felt as if he needed to raise awareness. Since Sempler is an artist, he created several traffic signs that depicted two pedestrians looking down at their phones instead of paying attention to their surroundings. He displayed the signs at numerous intersections in Stockholm, Sweden in an attempt to send a message to all phone addicts. Ironically, his message took flight through the use of social media since many passersby snapped pictures of the signs and his message went viral. Sadly, most of the people in greatest need of Sempler’s message will never receive it, because they will most likely pass by the signs while on their smartphones and be oblivious to the message.
It is a sad truth that Sempler’s concerns are completely valid because it is likely that the addicts will pass by without the faintest clue that they had missed anything at all. It seems as if the true addicts wouldn't even know a fire was occurring across the street unless they caught on fire as well. The reality is that people are so engulfed in their phones that their life passes them by, and, in addition to my initial concern, it is even more concerning that their lives are now endangered by it.
Sempler is not the first to be distracted by phones and almost lose his life. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Each day in the United States, more than 9 people are killed and more than 1,153 people are injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver.” This startling statistic is part of the motivation behind Sempler’s cause; not only can you endanger yourself by being distracted behind the wheel, but now by being in front of it. Moving forward I suggest that we put our phones away when walking the streets and especially while crossing them.
