Public space, private sphere

I always read John Naughton’s technology column in The Observer, but yesterday’s particularly impressed me.

He contrasts the busy Edwardian street scenes captured in old films (with many interactions in public spaces) with today’s private bubbles (either because we travel by private transport or because of iPod isolation).

This erosion of the public sphere makes it harder for communicators to get through. How do you break into private conversations, and how do you reach the ‘news avoiders’?