A recent TikTok video showing a lady “scrolling” on a transparent phone has people scratching their heads.
A girl named Cat (@askcatgpt) shared a TikTok video — which has now garnered over 50 million views — of herself standing in line at a boba tea shop holding what appears to be a transparent piece of acrylic glass — rather than a smartphone.
Cat appears to be treating the “transparent” phone as if she were using an actual smartphone, scrolling while bored, waiting in public. The text, “I’m sorry WTF IS THAT?????” is on the screen above her.
Many commenters were quick to assume it’s a Nokia phone: “Nokia transparent phone, released Oct 2024-ish time,” one person wrote.
“It’s the brand new plex from Nokia,” one other person chimed in.
Many others were baffled by the bizarre tech.
“She’s on a mission from the longer term,” someone wrote.
“Losing that will be a NIGHTMARE to seek out,” quipped another person.
The “phone” she’s holding actually exists. And while people should buy it — it’s not for the rationale most would expect.
In a follow-up video, Cat provided more context: “This can be a methaphone. It’s exactly what it looks like — a transparent piece of acrylic shaped like an iPhone. But why does it exist?”
She went on to elucidate that her friend invented it: “He told me what he desired to test if we’re all so hooked on our phones, then could you potentially curb someone’s addiction by replacing the sensation of getting a phone in your pocket with something that feels the exact same?”
Cat identified that the methaphone is sold out already.
She also speculated why so many individuals were intrigued by her viral video, pondering it’s since the piece of plastic “looks like a physical artifact that directly responds to this collective tension that our phones, which are supposed to make us feel more connected, do the alternative.”
“Have I used my phone less prior to now week that I’ve been carrying this [the acrylic phone] around with me? Probably not. But what do you think that?” She asked her viewers.
“Do you think that that a single piece of acrylic could actually begin to help us get back in contact with humanity or is that this only a weird party trick?” she continued.
Many individuals within the comments of her follow-up video weren’t exactly sold on the bizarre concept.
“No one’s hooked on holding phones, they’re hooked on the apps,” one person challenged.
“I used to be really hoping we were entering the glass cellphones era,” joked another person.
“Sooo it’s not a phone…end of story,” a dissatisfied commenter wrote.
People may not be gung-ho on this concept, nevertheless, Cat and her friend could be onto something because a study from Amazon Kindle revealed that we’re more hooked on our devices than we’d think.
“Each 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 told news.com.au.
“This prompts our cognitive control network, diverting focus away from what we were doing.”
