Has the computer age ruined peripheral vision?

Have you noticed that when you walk through any crowded area - a shopping centre, a main thoroughfare or a mall, exit a theatre or cinema after a performance - that people will just walk out in front of you or change direction without warning, causing you to swerve in order to avoid a collision? And when you fail to swerve in time and a collision occurs, how angry do they get? It's never their fault! And then there are those who exit a doorway and then just stand in the middle of a stream of people expecting others to go around them.

I understand that you can change your mind about what direction you're going in at the last minute but for pete's sake (and mine!) look both ways before you make a sudden turn or stop. If all these people drive the same way, no wonder the road toll has escalated!

Is it possible that a decade of sitting in front of computers where your eyesight is focussed on a direct path has taken away our ability to sense movement out of our direct line of sight? I think so!

I have tested this theory by trying to walk in a straight line and it is almost comical trying to do so without other pedestrians running into you. From the person texting to the one with ear plugs., firmly implanted, listening to their selected music. It is almost impossible to travel in a straight line at a constant speed. Perhaps if we all took life a little more slowly and learned to appreciate a nice day, things would be a little less hectic and I wouldn't mind swerving so much!