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On lost souls... and mobile phones

Adam Gopnik reflects on a revelatory visit to a mobile phone shop.

Adam Gopnik on why a visit to get his phone repaired resulted in an unlikely revelation.

Watching those waiting alongside him, Adam comes to the realisation that we have poured ourselves so completely into our phones that the devices, paradoxically, are the one place where we can picture ourselves as selves.

They have become the equivalent of the confession booths of old, or the diary in the 18th century.

"We all need some box to hold our fears and desires as the winds of the world threaten to blow us away," he concludes.

Producer: Adele Armstrong

Available now

9 minutes

Last on

Sun 2 Jan 2022 08:48

Broadcasts

  • Fri 31 Dec 2021 20:50
  • Sun 2 Jan 2022 08:48

Podcast