Latest news with #boba
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A video of a woman using a transparent 'phone' went viral. But can it actually help curb your smartphone addiction?
Is that transparent 'phone' you've spotted on TikTok legit? It may be, in the future — but at the moment, it's just a piece of plastic designed to make us reflect on our relationship with our real phones. It all started in May, with a TikTok of a woman holding what appears to be a transparent phone while standing in line at a boba shop. But the video — which received millions of views and had people describing the phone as something out of Black Mirror or a sci-fi movie — didn't actually involve any real tech. Instead, it was part of a social experiment spurred by tech content creator Catherine Goetze — aka CatGPT — who appears in the video. It was all to create a buzz around the 'methaphone,' a piece of acrylic shaped like an iPhone. 'My friend is actually the inventor and creator of these and he told me that what he wanted to test was, if we're all so addicted to our phones, then could you potentially curb somebody's addiction by replacing the feeling of having a phone in your pocket with something that feels exactly the same,' Goetze explained in a follow-up TikTok, which revealed the truth behind the acrylic 'phone.' She credited toymaker Eric Antonow with creating the methaphone on her website. On his website, Antonow explained that the toy's name, the 'methaphone,' is a nod to methadone, a substance used as a harm reduction tool in the treatment of morphine and heroin addiction. 'I include myself among people who do not like the current relationship with phones and their apps,' Antonow wrote. 'I wanted a device that would make you think. It is a mirror for your phone feelings. You turn it over in your hands and questions might start to arise. Woah, how can this thing have such power and presence in my life? What would it be like to carry it around with me all day?' Goetze's website now links to a form you can fill out if you want your own methaphone. In exchange, Goetze asks that people share feedback about their experiences using this piece of non-tech. 'We're all just individuals up against, what? The entirety of big tech?' Goetze asked in her TIkTok. 'I think that's why this little piece of acrylic feels so empowering. I mean, honestly, look, have I used my phone less in the past week that I've been carrying this around with me? Probably not. But just the idea that I could have something in my life — something I can touch and hold — and the conversation that this little guy is sparking online ... that's what really matters,' she said. People in Goetze's TikTok comments are skeptical that the methaphone would help people curb a smartphone habit. One wrote, 'I'm addicted to TikTok, not my phone.' Another added, 'Nobody is addicted to holding phones, they're addicted to the apps.' And a third noted that 'As an older millennial that would not work for me. I grew up when there were no cell phones, so I'm addicted to the access to information, not the idea of holding the phone.' Kostadin Kushlev, an assistant professor at Georgetown University who explores how technology affects happiness, told Yahoo News that there has not been enough research on objects like the methaphone to say definitively that it will or will not help people curb their smartphone habit. There is some precedent for the methaphone, however, Kushlev noted, in that some people who quit smoking may wean themselves off of cigarettes or vapes by choosing to use nicotine-free devices that have the same feel as their preferred smoking device. However, Kushlev added that there are many reasons why people are so attached to their devices, and it doesn't have to do with the physical object itself. 'We live in an attention economy, and our attention is very valuable in terms of selling ads — and ultimately, the platforms we use, like social media and gaming platforms, know how to hook people,' he explained. One way they do this is through 'variable reinforcement,' which is a concept that's similar to how slot machines work. Since you never know when you'll get a like or a comment, that unpredictability keeps you checking in and scrolling, in hopes you'll get a notification that triggers a hit of dopamine. That makes the behavior more addictive over time. And the ability to create engagement is 'the main metric by which these platforms judge success, and the main metric that can be measured,' he explained — meaning there's a major incentive from companies to keep your eyeballs on your phone. So while the methaphone may be an interesting conversation starter, it's likely not going to be the thing that helps you kick a smartphone habit for good.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Man Shocked After He Witnesses 'Worst First Date of All Time' While Out Buying Boba (Exclusive)
Cameron Carey accidentally overheard what he describes as the 'worst first date' while waiting for his boba Carey said the man insulted his date and clearly made her feel uncomfortable He shared the experience on TikTok, amassing over 254,000 viewsFirst dates are inevitably awkward, but Cameron Carey believes he may have witnessed one of "the worst." Carey was waiting for his order at a boba shop when he overheard an awkward conversation between two other patrons who were clearly on a first date. Since the shop was small, he tells PEOPLE that he would have heard what they were saying no matter where he sat. "The guy starts, and he immediately says, 'You know, you're a much better conversationalist in person because you suck online. You sucked on Hinge.' That makes my senses peak," Carey recalls. "I'm thinking, 'What are they talking about? Because that is a crazy thing to say.' " Carey tells PEOPLE that the date began apologizing, "She said, 'I'm so, so sorry. I'm not good at socialization; I've been working on my conversation skills.' " Her date noted that he also doesn't have much time to work on his conversation skills due to his work as a missionary. Then, he shockingly stated that he doesn't consider the people he talks to on his mission trips to be people. After realizing that his comment made her uncomfortable, he tried to backtrack, but the damage was already done. Carey listened as the man tried to move the conversation along, only for things to get even worse. The date then asked the woman why she hadn't touched her drink yet. She mentioned that she has an issue with frequent urination. Her date responds with, "'Oh, you do?'" Carey recalls, noting that it was in a creepy tone. "The secondhand embarrassment I felt for both of them was so bad I wanted to go, but I hadn't got my food yet, so I have to sit here and keep listening to the conversation," Carey tells PEOPLE. "He said he has his friends review his Hinge and find out what to say for him. He's not even the one who got the date with her; it was his friends. She was a little irked by that," Carey adds. "He said, 'Every time I get a match...' and he made it seem like he gets a lot of Hinge matches. So she said, 'Well, how many other girls are you talking to on Hinge?' " Before Carey could hear his response, his name was called and he beelined it to the exit. Carey jokes that the woman probably wanted to leave after him and never look back. Carey described the date as unkempt and said he was wearing a snapback, a dirty sweatshirt, and sweatpants. His date was physically uncomfortable during the whole experience. "She was very scrunched up and I think she was shy and when she said she was introverted, she meant it. She was bunched up into a ball, and she was keeping really close to herself," Carey shares. "This was way out of her comfort zone. I feel bad that you put yourself out there and you end up on a date with the weirdest guy of all time." Carey notes that the woman had no idea who she was actually meeting since her date's friends manage his dating profile. "He's got his whole friend group creating a persona for him that doesn't even actually exist. Many people he's matching with are matching with a guy who's not real." Carey also shares his advice for those looking to avoid going on a disastrous date similar to the one that he experienced. "Dress nice and be normal. Women are just people. They're not a separate sort of species," he says. "Just treat them like you would any one of your friends, and that's gonna go infinitely better than treating them like they're a zoo animal." Carey shared this experience with his audience on TikTok, noting that since he had to experience it, his audience should also have to. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "I watched this whole video and resent you for making all of us experience this," one commenter added. "She was probably looking for a reason to leave, and I don't blame her," another user chimed in. Read the original article on People
