In 2017, smartphones are the lifeline for many individuals who use them for work, entertainment, food, and social media. Amongst the millennial generation, phone calls are becoming a thing of the past. It is an ironic concept that phones are used the least for actual phone calls. This is primarily due to the increasing usage of the simple text message as an easier and quicker form of communication. There are various text messaging and chat apps that make for an easier form of communication and an often less intimate form of communicating with others. Bogost suggests that people are when people talk on the phone with one another there is often an intrusive nature included with it. I believe that this is true because the younger generation of today has a relatively short attention span. It is easier to text someone rather than call someone because the call requires undivided attention that most millennial find hard to give. It is easier to shoot a text message to someone because you can continue with whatever else you may be doing like watching a video, listen to music, all of which could be done on the very smartphone you are using.

Bogost suggests that there is a “telephinobia” among the younger generation which is when even the simplest phone calls, like ordering Chinese food, causes an anxiety with the caller. This is because there is an improvisational nature that can cause stress or a burden on the caller. When calling someone, you have to think quickly about how you want to convey a message to the recipient. There is a certain awkwardness when you are on the phone with someone and you feel vulnerable to anything that the recipient might say that you are not prepared for.

To me, this idea of “telephinobia” identifies with the average millennial New Yorker. There is never a time,whether you are on the streets of New York, the subway, or even the classes at Hunter College where a kid is not on their phone. New York City has a fast “move and go” pace that encourages productivity. Our smartphones help us keep up with our daily lives and it is all at our fingertips. There is no need to actually call someone anymore unless it is for a business purpose which is usually a quick and productive call. Millennials can check their bank account, school and work schedule, and even grab an Uber all at their fingertips. This type of lifestyle requires a quicker pace and there is really no time to stop and call someone.

I am a big proponent of keeping up with the times. The smartphone allows for much more than a simple phone call and the times of just calling someone for the sake of calling someone could be a thing of the past for millennials. Being the generation that falls right in the forefront of this technological revolution is giving us the resources to do more at our fingertips than any other generation. Despite this, hopefully we don’t take a step backwards in human interaction and be comfortable with interacting with people without the anxiety that a phone call may give us.