Re:The French village that voted to ban scrolling in public
by krisoft on Saturday February 10, 2024 @05:22PM
(#39330769)
> It might come as shocking, but it used to be the case that one could meet new people in the street, because the probability of positive human contact dwarfed the scammers or beggars you describe.
That sounds good. I was in my early twenties when smartphones went from a curiosity you heard about on the TV to a reality in many hands. Scammers and beggars masively outweighted positive random contacts even before. Phones and headphones did not cause this where I have grown up.
Couples that met on a bus commute was a trope with a basis in reality; nowadays everyone's isolated, headphones on, eyes glued on a phone. The first reaction to human contact in public spaces is one of distrust and defence.
> The idea that baning phone usage is going to make people less lonely is in itself preposterous.
It's not magic; it's a signal, a public statement.