A recent report by Twinpine, a pan-African mobile advertising network titled, Nigeria 2016 Mobile Trends Report, placed Nigeria as the most mobile telecommunication-induced nation in the world. With this reputation has, however come a major challenge, as many, especially the youth are getting addicted to their devices, to a point of irresponsibility. Medinat Kanabe explores this development.
MOBILE phones, especially the newest smartphones, are a lifeline to many in our present world. In Nigeria especially it is nearly impossible for many to achieve anything meaningful in a day without recourse to their smartphones, as they literally serve as offices, business partners and entertainment fora to them. To some, the devices serve as social interaction options, while to some, they provide a sense of security, serving as avenues through which they send out distress signals/messages in times of need.
However, this dependency has not come without its downsides. Uppermost is the danger of addiction, which is unfortunately turning people into zombies. Smartphone zombies more like it. These set of people get completely lost in their smartphone world, that they become totally oblivious of their surroundings and people around them. The milder danger is a new world of individuals ensconced in their cocoon. A world bereft of real-life interactions, emotions and camaraderie. But there is a more dangerous danger. The danger of accidents. Of people walking directly into their death, unexpectedly. And scary data abound.
One of such is the case of Adenekan Temitope, a truck boy, who was crushed to death by his own truck under which he was relaxing on June 28 (2016). Adenekan had picked a comfortable spot under the stationary truck to lay his head for a quick mid-day nap, but the blaring earphones stuck in his ears prevented him from hearing his driver’s blaring horn as he prepared to move, leading to his instant death.
According to an eye witness, “The young man usually slept under the truck whenever the driver parked; and when he was about to move, the noise from the truck usually woke him up. But on this occasion, he did not hear the horn because of the ear-pieces in his ears.”
Another such story is that of a teenager, B-Boy, who was knocked to death by a truck on a Lagos highway not too long ago. B-Boy had been listening to loud music on his phone and chatting simultaneously, when he met his sudden death.
There is also the pathetic story of a young man, who was so engrossed in the music blaring from his smartphone earpieces as he strolled along the free Oshodi rail line, that he failed to hear the din of an approaching train and was eventually crushed to death sometime last year.
Similar to the above would be the online video of a 16-year-old girl who got carried away, chatting through her smartphone and failed to notice an approaching train, until she was knocked down and crushed to death by the raging machine.
Another instance, milder and almost comic, is a viral YouTube video of a man, glued to his phone and does not notice a huge bear ambling towards him until the last minute. Finally, he notices the beast and flees in horror.
According to researches, there are ways of determining if a person is addicted to his or her phone. These include using the phone in the bathroom, “when you feel a brief moment of panic when you touch your pocket and don’t find your phone; when you meet people with the same phone, you can only talk about it; (when) a full battery charge barely lasts the day, (when) you have cut back on necessities to be able to pay your phone bill, (when) you have 30 different apps installed and use them all; (when) you have alarms telling you when to do everything in your life, (and) you’ve spent more on the accessories than on your phone.”
One parent who said she fights with her undergraduate children whenever they come home for holidays, said: “All my children are examples of smartphone zombies, especially the twins. Whenever they are in the house on holidays, instead of the usual one-on-one communication, all they do is, tap on their phones, playing games like the popular Candy Crush, sending texts to friends, watching videos online, Facebook, Instagram; heads down and oblivious of the world around them.”
Another parent who said she is not happy with the trend, said: “Sometimes I wonder if these people are normal. Sometimes, they smile to themselves, laugh loudly or even speak to themselves while chatting with someone on the phone.”
Although this problem is not peculiar to Nigeria alone, some countries have taken precautions to save their citizens from themselves. In China for instance, a lane has been preserved on Chongqing pavement on the mainland of Southwest China for smartphone users. The decision was however, meant as a light-hearted reminder of the potential dangers of the habit.
Britain has experimented with fixing shock-absorbing pads to lamp posts and bollards to protect pedestrians whose minds are elsewhere.
Crossing to death
The greatest danger is when pedestrians are engaged in their devices while crossing roads. Taiwan is reportedly considering imposing a fine on anyone caught toying with their gadgets on the road. In the USA, the states of Utah and New Jersey have experimented with fines, and some cities are considering legislations.
In Hong Kong, where a law banning the use of hand-held devices while driving already exists since 2001, a Transport Department spokesman says he does not see a need for a new legislation targeting pedestrians. He said this is already covered in Section 48 of the Road Traffic Ordinance, which states that a pedestrian who, while crossing a road, negligently endangers his own safety or that of others is committing an offence.
FRSC speaks
Speaking on behalf of the Federal Road Safety Corps, ACC Iwuoha Chinuwendu, Unit Commander, FRSC, Ikotun, Lagos, said it is a major issue as far as safety on the highway is concerned. She also conceded that it is taking people out of the normal social communication pattern.
“It is affecting the one-on-one communication pattern that we are used to. We all prefer to be online nowadays, and most of the information gotten online are lies and deception. To make matters worse, it can even lead to accidents on the roads. Another issue is driving and making use of the phone at the same time. If you are driving, you need 100 per cent concentration and alertness to keep you safe on the road.
“You would agree with me that pinging, making a call, texting or checking your phone in whatever form is distraction. Accidents occur in seconds; that is why when it happens, the victims are in shock. Any second of distraction is very dangerous.” Iwuoha said.
Dangerous to children
The road safety commander is particularly concerned about the wellbeing of children, who by some stroke of fortune possess these gadgets. He said: “These children don’t make use of the walkways or overhead bridges; they don’t even know what zebra crossing is and anytime you see them, they are busy on their phone, chatting.”
He wondered what people could be doing on their phone all day round, even on the road, and concluded that it is little wonder the habit has been nicknamed, General Street Madness (GSM). “People are so engrossed in their phones that they rarely hear the blast of car horn. Most times, they even turn around and insult you because the sound of your horn is disturbing their conversation. And when you arrest such people, they quickly tell you that they only just told the caller they’d call back. But must you answer that call or reply that message?”
As a precautionary measure, Iwuoha said the commission has taken a decision to take the campaign against the habit to the roads and to churches and mosques. She enjoined people to always put their phones on silence while on the road if they cannot resist the temptation or park well if they must receive the call.
“Some drivers now decide to make use of ear phones; but we say ‘what of the news coming in; is it information you can manage? Some laughter can distract you. So whether the news is good or bad, you can be distracted.”
She added that answering these calls or using the phone in whatever way or means not only endanger the driver but other people in the vehicle, plus other road users and pedestrians. She therefore said the Federal Road Safety Corps is committed to enforcing the rules on driving strictly.
“If you look at our strategic goal for this year, one of them is to improve enforcement and public education. Most of the time we do some special patrol on use of phone while driving. But more importantly, people should listen to the campaign and desist.”
Due to the recalcitrant nature of Nigeria’s adults, she said the corps has also decided to take the campaign to the children, so they can become more safety compliant as they grow into adulthood.
A psychologist on smartphone addiction
A clinical psychologist from the Yaba Psychiatric Hospital, Lagos, Dr Adegboyega Bamisile, who spoke to The Nation, said to say somebody is addicted, “That person must have pushed away all functioning social, family, or occupational values in such a way that the substance he or she is addicted to has now taken the centre stage in his life. An example is if we say somebody is addicted to cigarettes, he will have reasons to use that cigarette to achieve some other levels of functioning.
Without that cigarette, he may probably not be able to function in some areas of daily life activities, family, occupation, social or even spiritual. So you find that when such persons wake up in the morning, they must smoke a stick of cigarette before they begin anything.
“So for people who are addicted to their phones, you will find that they’re always glued to their devices, whether in a meeting, in a gathering, conference or discussion; calling, texting or chatting away at the expense of their other responsibilities.
“If he is sleeping, he may probably sleep with his phone; and wake up in time to pick up the phone. If they are in a discussion, concentration and attention is reduced because he has diverted his attention to the phone. If he is in a class or lecture, he is not even listening; and you even find that he will be lacking in his areas of responsibility, because his whole attention has been transferred to the smart phone.
“If he is driving, you’d find that he is not driving very well and may get involved in an accident. If he is writing, he is not writing very well; if he is speaking, his mind is shifted because his attention is on that smartphone. In such instances, we can now say that such person is addicted.
“Again, you find out that he is not comfortable; and it is as if a part of him is missing whenever he is not with his phone. Even when the discussion is in the church or mosque, he is not listening to what the pastor or imam is saying because he is busy chatting, texting or surfing the internet.”
Dr Bamisile says “the negative implications of this could be social and psychological. When we talk about the social implication, the person will not perform well in his line of duty or conform with norms of the society. He is not performing tasks as required of him, and there will be areas of deficit in his daily activities.
“What this means is that concentration is given to the smartphone; so psychologically, such person may develop anxiety, which may even lead to low self-esteem and lack of confidence. Without his smartphone, he is not able to do anything; and socially he is seen as the odd person out. He is seen as the one who is not compliant with what is going on in the society.
How much should people be attached to their phone?
Dr Bamisile says “A phone is a medium of communication and people’s existence should not be tied to their phones, because such an individual would be disconnected from the real world. Lately, the world has become a global village, connected with the advent of social media, so using a smartphone is very good. However, in connecting to the world, we should use the smartphone positively.
“Most people who spend time on their smartphones are not necessarily doing things that are productive; otherwise they would have a schedule. You will have other attaching functions to perform aside browsing, for productivity. There must be a thin line, and when you go beyond that thin line, then it becomes abnormal.
“Some people who use the smarter phones, plan their business of the day on the phone; like using it as a reminder. They use the phone positively and not at the expense of their work, business, or other areas of obligations and responsibility.
Should Nigeria also make provisions for smartphone addicts?
Bamisile says “ Looking at it psychologically I will not say Nigeria should not do that too. Let us not forget that China that we’re talking about is one of the world’s biggest producers of these devices. They have created a walkway for people who walk and use their smartphones but I am sure they have not created a way for people who drive and use their smartphones because using a smartphone while driving can lead to accidents.
“But in Nigeria where we are still battling with our economy, people who are supposed to be productive cannot be allowed to get addicted to their phones. I don’t think it makes a lot of economic sense. Don’t forget, China also has the population edge. So, I don’t think Nigeria should allow people who should be in school or working, to be addicted to their smartphones instead of contributing to the national economy. Those whom you think are addicted to their phones in some other countries, may be actually discovering new technologies via the phones.
A Doctor’s opinion
Dr Ibeauchi Chinasa, a Medical Doctor in a private hospital in Lagos says addiction to a phone has more of social implications. “I will advice that if you are sitting while chatting; you should sit with your back resting. The back should be well rested because it helps to spread your body weight on your waist. If not, it may lead to chronic lower back pain.”
Contrary to wider opinion, Ibeauchi says “The position that people put their heads while chatting does not really have any serious health implication, especially if they are standing.
“But again, if a person spends too much time on the phone chatting, browsing or engaging in any other exercise, he may sooner or later be living a sedentary lifestyle, because he is not moving about.
“A sedentary lifestyle on its own is a risk factor for illnesses such as hypertension, because once someone has a sedentary life style the person will come down with increased body weight (obesity).
