The city where it was forbidden to walk, buried in the smartphone screen: why it might work - ForumDaily
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Bu məqalə Google Translate servisi vasitəsi ilə avtomatik olaraq rus dilindən azərbaycan dilinə tərcümə olunmuşdur. Bundan sonra mətn redaktə edilməmişdir.

The city where it was forbidden to walk, buried in the smartphone screen: why it might work

Do you often get angry at pedestrians who wander with their eyes glued to their smartphones and cannot see anything around them? Or maybe you yourself are a smartphone zombie and every day you risk colliding with a cyclist, twisting your ankle on a rough road, or even getting hit by a car? What would you say if your city banned walking like this? This is exactly what they did in the Japanese Yamato. Writes about this with the BBC.

Photo: Shutterstock

As you disembark the train in Yamato, a family-friendly suburb in Kanagawa Prefecture, about 30 km from Tokyo, your gaze is bumped into white linen posters vibrating in the breeze in the forecourt.

These posters are so far the only thing that confirms the news that has attracted the attention of many world media: pedestrians here are prohibited from looking at smartphones while moving along the streets.

This initiative, according to representatives of local authorities, is necessary and - despite the absence of any legal enforcement measures - is doomed to success.

The authorities of many megacities are racking their brains over how to tear people away from smartphone screens for their own safety. Why does Yamato think the new rules will change the behavior of residents? Why would it suddenly work?

Smartphone injury

The streets of Japanese cities are full of arukisumaho, which is the name given to those who walk slowly with their heads bowed and their eyes glued to the screen of their smartphone. This is a hybrid word derived from aruki (to walk) and sumatophone (smartphone), but it means something more like “zombie smartphone.”

In January, a study was conducted in two Yamato districts, which found that about 12% of the 6000 recorded urban pedestrians used a smartphone on the go.

“It's just dangerous,” says Mayor Satoru Oki, the main proponent of the new rules. The mayor initially promoted his idea to local legislators and, after conducting public consultations, realized that eight out of every ten residents supported it. Therefore, in June, the ban on the use of smartphones on the go came into force by a municipal decree.

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For the first time (several days), the city hired a small number of employees who stood at the railway station, holding prohibition signs in their hands with a pedestrian depicted buried in a smartphone, crossed out with a red stripe. A recording was broadcast through the speakers explaining the new rules.

The mayor says that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he does not want to place additional police patrols around the city - he limited himself to canvas posters at the exit of the station building. “I think we can trust the people of Yamato to do the right thing,” he explains.

This is not the first time that city authorities are trying to take measures to avoid smartphone injuries on the streets. In South Korean Ilsan, for example, devices have been installed at pedestrian crossings that, with flashing lights and laser beams, warn pedestrians immersed in their smartphones that they are in front of the roadway. The authorities in Chongqing, China have set aside a special telephone path for smartphone zombies (similar to bicycle) 30 m long, where they can move without fear that someone will run over them, and without taking their eyes off the screen.

In Honolulu, Hawaii, you can be fined under the "distracted walking" law if you try to text or post on social media while crossing the street.

But in Yamato there is no penalty for breaking the new rules. City officials hope that residents' behavior will gradually change naturally. How so?

"The nail that sticks out gets hammered in"

It is often said about Japanese society that collectivism rules here. The concept of "wa" ("harmony") suggests that harmonious relationships in a group are much more important than the expression of personal opinions. This is why, in particular, during the pandemic, no one went outside without a mask, despite the fact that this was not mandatory.

It is also clear that Japanese citizens are well aware of the dangers of using a smartphone on the go - both for themselves and for others. In a 2019 survey, 96,6% of 562 smartphone owners said they were aware of the danger, 13,2% had experience with a smartphone zombie, and 9,5% reported being injured as a result of an arukisumaho.

“I completely agree with this rule,” says Tokyo native Atsuko Nabata, who in her 60s regularly bikes to work through central Tokyo. — When I ride a bike, I have to constantly avoid collisions with people looking at their phones. One of these even crashed into me once.”

“If I see them and they approach me, I try to stop and wait until they notice me. Now when I almost collide with someone with a smartphone, I no longer apologize. Although deep down I want to scream.”

But can a ban not supported by any specific punishments change people's behavior?

Naota Suzuki of Nakamura Law Firm in Shibuya, Tokyo, points out that "there are laws that do not impose penalties for breaking them, but are still effective." According to him, the effectiveness of the new rules in Yamato depends on whether another Japanese concept—meiwaku (literally translated as “being a nuisance to others”)—works.

Meiwaku is when a person causes problems and anxiety to others, when he thinks only about himself. In Japan, this is considered a violation of etiquette, bad manners.

For example, there is an unwritten rule not to speak on the phone in public transport. And although it is not formally prohibited, people try not to violate it.

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In April, when people were asked to stay home and business leaders were asked to temporarily stop working, everyone by and large complied, although they were not threatened with any punishment.

On the other hand, laws prohibiting underage drinking and smoking are punishable but largely ignored—they "do not work effectively in preventing such behavior," according to Suzuki.

In reality, the difference comes down to whether certain actions are perceived as affecting others. Drinking and smoking are usually considered activities that are harmful only to the person himself - they do not fall into the category of socially unacceptable, meiwaku.

Yuko Watabe, a clinical psychologist at Tokyo's Temple University, Japan Campus, adds that meiwaku is a key factor in the success or failure of any law whose violation does not carry formal punishment.

“I think that children and young people learn this self-observation, either by imitating each other and adults, or through stimulation, encouragement of correct behavior. For example, parents in Japan often ask children not to behave in certain ways in public—say, talking loudly or running around—because it “causes problems for others.”

One of the most famous Japanese proverbs, applicable to school, work, and social life, says: “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.” This means that anyone who displays their difference or disobedience will be punished or expelled from society.

Compliance with social norms here is more in the personal interests of everyone, rather than altruism, explains Watabe. “In Japan, cooperation is supported through a system of mutual surveillance within population groups, while in the West this is often carried out through democratic legislation. Therefore, for the Japanese to survive and succeed, it is important to avoid rejection by family, friends and colleagues.”

Long way not for one year

In the case of Yamato, the mayor of Satoru Oki believes that the ban will help residents begin to perceive the behavior of smartphone zombies as a meiwaku, as something that causes problems for others. As a result, a new social norm will be born.

“This law was not created so that everything would change tomorrow. Or even in a year. My plan was to see if the new normal would work over five years and beyond,” he explains.

The mayor wants Japan's aging population to feel taken care of. And he is confident that his plan is doomed to success - the experience of other innovations convinces him of this. “Ten years ago we legally banned smoking on the go,” he says. “It took a long time to get this to work, but look: ten years later, this rule is working.”

Powerful smartphone user Yoichiro Tamada, 28, who works for a media agency, is not convinced that the safety of others can be sufficient incentive for the younger generation of Japanese.

“To be honest, I think in Japan we like to make new laws. If there are no penalties, I find it difficult to imagine that young people, many of whom have already developed smartphone addiction, will comply with this law. Personally, I will not comply with it."

So, the future success of Yamato City's new law mainly depends on its public interpretation. Suzuki explains this using the “1,5 condition.”

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“The first unit of condition is whether society considers such behavior dangerous or not, that is, whether it refers to mewak. Another half of a unit here is whether your peers would consider this behavior socially awkward.”

Suzuki emphasizes that if something serious happens because of this behavior—say, someone gets killed—it will be enough to cause shocked people to accept the new normal.

In addition, he believes, media attention to what is happening in Yamato can also help. “This could create an atmosphere of unease for those who will continue to walk the streets in the coming months with their nose to their smartphones,”

“But we’re already so addicted to our smartphones,” he warns, “that our desire to look at them every now and then can overcome any awkwardness of the situation.”

It remains only to keep track of which of the social values ​​will win in this silent battle on Japanese soil.

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