With the advent of social media platforms, many of us spend the majority of our time on these platforms, chatting and looking out for what is trending or new. It seems we have almost moved our lives from the real world to the virtual world. This of course is gradually eroding our face-to-face interactions with others around us.
However, in the latest news, one person has taken an action against this development. A British pub owner in the town of Hove, south coast of England has blocked phone and other smart devices signals from entering his pub, to encourage people to talk to each other while drinking in the pub.
Steve Tyler owns the Gin Tub. He sells cocktail drinks. Mr Tyler said he hopes his action will encourage his customers to talk to each other, rather than looking at the screen of the phones. Tyler used a simple technique to block the mobile phone signals from entering his pub.
He installed a metal mesh known popularly as Faraday Cage, in the walls and the ceiling of the building. This absorbs and redistributes the electromagnetic signals from phones and other wireless devices in the pub, preventing it from entering the interior of the building.
The Faraday Cage was discovered by the English physicist and chemist, Michael Faraday in 1836, as part of his experiment in electromagnetism and electrochemistry. It is often used in power plants or other highly charged environments to prevent shocks or interference with other electronic equipment. Currently, some people have started to put their Smartphones in wallets made from material of Faraday Cage, preventing data and credit card theft by cyber criminals.
In an interview with the BBC, Tyler said he wanted to force people to interact in the real world, as well as remembering them how to socialize.
“I just wanted people to enjoy a night out in my bar, without being interrupted by their phones. So rather than asking them not to use their phones, I stopped the phones working. I want you to enjoy the experience of going out,” he said.
Mr Tyler also spoke about the Faraday cage. He said: “It’s silver foil in the walls and it’s copper mesh. And it’s not the perfect system, it’s not military grade.”
According to Tyler, his customers are not complaining about what he has done. He revealed that he has put old-style phones out so that customers can use to call for another round of drinks, or chat to people on other tables.
Tyler said he opted for the Faraday Cage because its use is permitted under the 2006 Wireless Telegraphy Act of the United Kingdom, adding that the cage is unlike phone mobile jammers, which transmit their own signal to prevent a handset accessing its base station.
Commenting on what Tyler has done at his bar, a social media expert Zoe Cairns said his action could drive away young customers who have now become addicted to their phones.
“Mobile phones are every part of our life now and if we go into a bar, a club and we are looking for our phones, it does take away that socializing aspect of it. But I do believe it is going to isolate that particular generation,” he said.
A spokesman for the electronic communication regulator in the United Kingdom, Ofcom said although Tyler has not violated any of the electronic communication laws of the country, it is recommended that anybody thinking about following his footsteps seeks legal advice first.
He was quoted as saying: “Unlike jammers, Faraday cages don’t proactively cause interference, although they do interfere with mobile reception. We would always recommend people seek legal advice if they are unsure whether an installation breaches wireless telegraphy laws.”
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Wait till someone needs to call emergency services and can’t get a signal (there is a fire, entrance/exit is blocked OR a partial collapse, entrance/exit is blocked, etc….).
This seems like a good idea, but will end up getting him sued as a result when someone can’t call emergency services in an emergency.
He has a pay phone, a bar phone and they can walk outside.
He said he had installed land line phones.
Commenting on what Tyler has done at his bar, a social media expert Zoe Cairns said his action could drive away young customers who have now become addicted to their phones.
Okay – that’s fine…go stare at your phones someplace else.