Mobile Clones

One of the things that strikes me when people-watching these days is just how many meander along the street, heads down, tapping or scrolling on their mobile phone screens. Some even cross the road doing it! Oxford Circus seems to attract mobile maniacs like a magnet, and today I found it almost impossible to spot anyone who wasn't engrossed in their phone. To complete the isolation from their immediate surroundings, many have ear buds plugged into them as well, for calls and loud music. These two men, leaning against the H&M clothes store window by the tube station, were no exception. Perhaps they were texting each other?

Most in the crowds milling around the West End of London appear to be visitors. What a shame to miss out on such a vibrant city by constantly looking down at Facebook or Twitter, e-mails or texts instead of being immersed in the sights and sounds all around. I'm amazed they don't inadvertently walk straight under a red London bus, in much the same way that a tourist walked off a pier in Melbourne, Australia...