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The decision by a new nightclub in Manchester to require revellers to cover their smartphone cameras with stickers has sparked a debate about the use of mobile phones on dancefloors. “We really want the music and the experience to be front and centre,” explained the director of Amber’s, Jeremy Abbott. The venue will not ban phones outright, he said; guests will still be able to use their devices but photos will be prevented. A content team will be available to take and post photos to social media.
The number of UK clubs has fallen from 1,266 to 786 in the year to June 2021, according to figures from the Night Time Industries Association. Some in the industry believe that a ban on mobiles could be “a shot in the arm” that will reinvigorate clubs and bring back the energy to dancefloors. “These phones are killing the dancefloor, they’re killing the atmosphere,” argued Sacha Lord, night time economy adviser for Greater Manchester. “DJs hate it. To look out into a sea of phones and no-one’s dancing is really demoralising.”
Fewer than 10% of clubs in Berlin permit phones to be used on dancefloors. Clubcommission Berlin’s former spokesperson Lutz Leichsenring says visitors to the city appreciate this policy. “It is very, very weird when I’m in a club where people around me take pictures and film the whole time,” he said. Among those advocating easing restrictions is Ben Park, the 20-year-old son of famous Manchester DJ Graeme Park. Park sees no issue with phones being permitted in clubs, which can be “promoted online”.
However, some nightclub patrons at Amber’s welcome the rule. “It does make the vibe better, because the less people [are] on their phone, engaging more with the DJ and stuff, that’s the better environment to have,” said one. Dr Lee Hadlington, senior lecturer in cyberpsychology at Nottingham Trent University, said some revellers “part of their enjoyment is to document their night in terms of photos and memories
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