Photo/Illutration A woman uses a smartphone. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

"Tappu no kabe" (literally, wall of tap) is an expression I heard for the first time recently.

It refers to a situation where a person gives up using a smartphone after failing to master the technique of lightly touching--or tapping--the screen.

This is said to often happen to older people who are used to typing on keyboards.

I came across this unfamiliar phrase on the day I visited the National Institute of Technology (Kosen), Yuge College, for my reporting assignment. The institute is located on the island of Yuge in the Seto Inland Sea in Ehime Prefecture.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, traffic has dwindled among the local islands, deepening the sense of isolation among residents. To mitigate this, students at Yuge College helped the islanders learn to use smartphones and other mobile devices to communicate with their faraway families and friends.

Senior citizens peppered the students, including Yumika Yao, 20, with questions.

Typical among them were, "What do I push to change the screen?" and "When you say, 'Hold the button down,' how many seconds do you mean?"

Yao soon realized that the basic operation of tapping the screen was the main hurdle--or the "wall"--that threw the seniors off.

But this applies not only to the elderly.

I am in my late 50s and use my smartphone every day, but I am still not confident in my finger movements. This is an unease I never felt with my PC or old "gara-kei" (non-smart flip phone) on which I always saw a keyboard.

When I switched to a smartphone, I often had to consult the user’s manual, sighing in frustration.

It has been 15 years since the iPhone's debut. The groundbreaking invention of this touchscreen-operated device took the world by storm.

The younger generation had no trouble embracing it, but that was certainly not the case with everyone.

Tap, swipe and flick are verbs that were not used in daily life until a decade ago.

The day will come when even the smartphone becomes a relic of the past. I can see myself grousing, "I miss the good old days of smartphones."

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 25

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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