Don't blame the smartphone!

I hear a lot of justified lament over how more and more people have their eyes glued to their smartphones. One example often cited is the way many thumb-swipe through content in a (top) picture-sharing app: seemingly, without a pause to actually absorb the images, rarely stopping for even a second. Like their thumbs were on auto-pilot.

To me, such thumb-swiping is nothing new. In fact, it is an old habit evolved: the early 21st-century manifestation of 'muscle memory'. No, I do not mean zapping in front of a TV screen.

For the past decade, I have been living in two cities where, every single day, a vast portion of the population makes offerings to the god of muscle memory: the ‘close lift door’ button.

No matter if the lift door is still open or almost closed, pressing the 'close door' button is a must. You often see people reaching from the very back of the lift... stretching their arms between the people in front... just to touch that button. And not just once: like an army of industrial robots, the muscle memory acolytes keep stabbing the poor buttons multiple times. It does not matter if someone else is waiting to step into the lift – the reduced spatial awareness mandates pressing the ‘door close’ button anyway, even if it means closing the door on someone’s arm, leg or head.

In Singapore, this behaviour extends from riding lifts to walking the streets. The big silver button at a pedestrian crossing must be punched, no matter what – often, several times in succession. Who cares the red indicator next to the button clearly says “The system has already been engaged, and the green light will soon let you cross the street” – scores of people push the button anyway, like in a trance.

Do not blame the smartphone alone for turning homo sapiens into zombie-like creatures. The muscle memory syndrome starts with things far simpler. This needs lamenting too – and, a fair amount of basic education.