Stop texting while walking: what Americans can learn from ninjas and samurai in Japan about using smartphone while walking [VIDEO]
In this day and age when technology has been an integral part of our daily lives, a lot of people has become too tied up and, seemingly, entranced with their precious smartphone devices. And, it looks like we may have come to that point where the number of smartphone users has substantially outnumbered the "smart" phone users.
According to a 2013 study by the Ohio State University which looked into the some of the problems that people may encounter with their use of smartphones, there are up to 2 million injuries in the U.S. as far back as 2010 that may have been related to mobile phone use while walking, according to a Mashable report.
Meanwhile, one Japanese cell phone carrier, NTT Docomo, has made a campaign in order to remind people of the risks posed by the excessive and mindless usage of our mobile devices. In their ad entitled, "Samurai Smartphone Parade," the company shared some statistics related to the unmindful usage of mobile devices by some people. You can watch the full video below courtesy of YouTube.
The ad was set during Japan's feudal Edo period, which is an era when daimyo or warlords were forced to transfer their residence from their regional seat of power to the capital in Edo every other year in order to prevent them from rising up against the shogunate, wrote Rocket News 24. Although, the actors were, seemingly, serious about their roles, the video has a more humorous tone.
According to the mobile phone service provider's video, 66 percent of people have accidentally collided with another person when using their smartphones while walking, while 18 percent of people have tripped over something in their path. The ad also revealed that close to 4 percent of these people who use their mobile devices the improper way have fallen from the train platform and onto the tracks as they make their way through the station.
The video clip said that most people are aware that using their smartphones while walking can lead to something that may put them at risk. The problem is that people still do it anyway. "99 percent of people think using a smartphone while walking is dangerous. 73 percent of people have used a smartphone while walking," it noted.
In the end, NTT Docomo's "Samurai Smartphone Parade" ad went on to asking the viewers to look forward when they are walking and avoid staring at their smartphone.