Is this woman’s transparent phone a simple solution for a modern problem? Or is it potentially a sign of how technology is destroying society?
A TikToker is insanely viral after filming a woman in line at a boba shop holding a mysterious, cellphone-shaped piece of glass. In the comments, users joked that it’s a new transparent cellphone.
As it turns out, there is a much simpler (although maybe still just as odd) explanation for the phenomenon. According to the New York Post, this is called a methaphone, which is a $25 slab of acrylic that is designed as a “stand-in” for a cellphone.
The company behind the methaphone, Mindless Toys, describes it as an alternative to cellphone use similar to a nicotine patch. “Now you can step down your dependency on your mobile device with this,” the site reads.
You can basically do everything with the methaphone that you’d do with a regular cellphone: Put it in your pocket, stare blankly at it in line at the tea shop, and misplace it. The only thing it lacks is a motherboard.
This is an art project by New York City engineer and artist Greg Hochmuth, also known as grex, whose projects often contemplate the impact of the internet on human existence.
@askcatgpt Completely clear phone spotted in San Francisco on May 14…?!? Wtf?????? 🤭🤫 Link in bio for more deets. (NOT SPONSORED)
♬ original sound – CatGPT
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
