A current TikTok video exhibiting a lady “scrolling” on a clear cellphone has individuals scratching their heads.
A lady named Cat (@askcatgpt) shared a TikTok video — which has now garnered over 50 million views — of herself standing in line at a boba tea store holding what seems to be a transparent piece of acrylic glass — instead of a smartphone.
Cat appears to be treating the “transparent” cellphone as if she have been utilizing an actual smartphone, scrolling whereas bored, ready in public. The textual content, “I’m sorry WTF IS THAT?????” is on the display above her.
Many commenters have been fast to imagine it’s a Nokia cellphone: “Nokia transparent phone, released Oct 2024-ish time,” one particular person wrote.
“It’s the new plex from Nokia,” one other particular person chimed in.
Many others have been baffled by the weird tech.
“She’s on a mission from the future,” somebody wrote.
“Losing that would be a NIGHTMARE to find,” quipped another person.
The “phone” she’s holding truly exists. And whereas individuals should purchase it — it’s not for the rationale most would anticipate.
In a follow-up video, Cat offered extra context: “This is a methaphone. It’s exactly what it looks like — a clear piece of acrylic shaped like an iPhone. But why does it exist?”
She went on to clarify that her pal invented it: “He told me what he wanted to test if we’re all so addicted to our phones, then could you potentially curb someone’s addiction by replacing the feeling of having a phone in your pocket with something that feels exactly the same?”
Cat identified that the methaphone is offered out already.
She additionally speculated why so many individuals have been intrigued by her viral video, considering it’s as a result of the piece of plastic “feels like a physical artifact that directly responds to this collective tension that our phones, which are meant to make us feel more connected, do the opposite.”
“Have I used my phone less in the past week that I’ve been carrying this [the acrylic phone] around with me? Probably not. But what do you think?” She requested her viewers.
“Do you think that a single piece of acrylic could actually start to help us get back in touch with humanity or is this just a weird party trick?” she continued.
Many individuals within the feedback of her follow-up video weren’t precisely offered on the weird idea.
“Nobody’s addicted to holding phones, they’re addicted to the apps,” one particular person challenged.
“I was really hoping we were entering the glass cellphones era,” joked another person.
“Sooo it’s not a phone…end of story,” a upset commenter wrote.
Individuals may not be gung-ho on this concept, nonetheless, Cat and her pal could be onto one thing as a result of a examine from Amazon Kindle revealed that we’re extra hooked on our gadgets than we’d assume.
“Every time we receive a notification – whether it’s a ping, vibration, or visual alert – our brain perceives it as something requiring immediate attention,” neuroscientist Dr. Mark Williams instructed information.com.au.
“This activates our cognitive control network, diverting focus away from what we were doing.”
