Phones

It is natural to form an emotional bond with the phones that we carry with us 23 and a half hours a day for two to four years, that come with us to festivals, to the cinema, to work, on hikes, on bike rides and more. It is normal to feel nostalgia for a device that allowed us to photograph babies that turn into toddlers, that become children. It is normal to feel nostalgia for a device that is an integral part of our live 24/7 for years.

When some people are away it feels pleasurable. The reason for which it feels pleasant is that they are loud. They will use the phone and have a full conversation when a three sentence e-mail will be enough. They will posture and show off rather than consider that not everyone in the open plan office needs to hear them pontificate for a quarter of an hour or more. During the pandemic I noticed that people like to yell on their phones, rather than speak quietly.