Alex Haigh lives in Melbourne and launched the campaign, when he worked in an advertising agency. (Stopphubbing.com)
Alex Haigh bothered that many people constantly reach for their smartphone while they talk with others. So the 23-year-old Australian launched the campaign “Stopphubbing”. Now she has supporters worldwide
Technology Review. Good evening, Mr. Haigh. How is your campaign
Alex Haigh: Oh, good. I never thought that they would have this coverage. In just the last 24 hours were more than 1000 Likes add on Facebook. It’s like a snowball effect, people write to me from South Africa, Singapore and India. I now I’m almost to nothing more than to answer emails. Incidentally, I have just looked at the statistics from Google Analytics. Most visitors to the site come from Germany
. TR: fast time to update his Facebook status, check the latest news on the smartphone. What do you object to
Haigh: people engage themselves in the middle of a conversation on her cell phone. They believe they can do two things at once. But this I do not think so. So you talk to people who actually do about else. This sucks. Some studies have even come to the conclusion that Phubbing destroys relationships
TR. Heard calls for you also?
Haigh: Yes, every interaction with the phone rather than with the people around you. Of course it’s OK to answer a call, it might be something important, an emergency for example. Some, however, always call when you are with them
. TR: Was there a moment when you said that’s enough?
Haigh: No, the anger has built up rather slowly. Why was it me sometime too much maybe is because I’ve worked a long time in cafes. I was exposed to a lot of Phubbing while I was standing behind the counter
. TR: What about you? Phubben you
Haigh: Oh yes. Absolutely. I think everyone who owns a mobile phone, it does. For my part I believe, however, that I am quite good at it, to let it be
. TR: I ask because there are a surprising discrepancy. 88 percent to speak out against Phubbing on your home. But if it is all these people would actually do without it, there would probably not be a problem
Haigh. Right. Many want to believe that they do not phubben. But they do. A smartphone is just irresistible. Mobile phones offer the opportunity to retire into private life in public. One can escape from unpleasant situations. For this, a smartphone is not even necessary, even if the devices are of course very tempting. But even on a normal phone you can always look for new text messages or playing games. The many reactions from poorer countries show that it is not a pure smartphone problem
. TR: Then it will probably get worse with Google Glass.
Haigh: Google Glass is cool, but it will trigger a much larger debate about the Phubbing in fact. With it you could do it constantly, finally. You do not even get his phone out of his pocket. The opposite, however, would still remember that he speaks with one that actually is doing something else
. TR: 13 percent, however seem to find Phubbing well. Anyway, they agreed on their homepage from it.
Haigh: Some even call my campaign as a protest against the technology itself. That’s not her. I love my iPhone. But I think we should discuss the social impact of smartphones
. TR: Maybe Phubbing is also just a new social norm to which we have become accustomed? Ways to show the other that you would like to finish a conversation, there was finally always
Haigh. That may be, but we must carefully about discuss. We have given the smartphone an important place in our lives. But how we deal with it on a social level, we have not yet clarified. The people, however, find solutions. By a visitor to the campaign page, for example, came the following suggestion: When eating out every mobile phone on the table. Who picks first then pays the bill
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