The lockscreen as a modern locket
Or how our phones are always a little bad, no matter how hard we try
Since coming across it, I’ve pondered this tweet a lot:
It’s easy to see why. It’s a beautiful idea that’s a million miles away from the common perception of phones as evil rectangles pumping us full of anxiety.
This comparison of a lockscreen to a locket is a refreshing salve to this feeling.
Having our nearest and dearest on our phones’ displays is like a mini love letter, a way of being reminded of those we care about.
It’s the warmest the tech industry has made me feel in ages.
Of course though, this couldn’t last long. That’s not The Way Of The Rectangle.
Yes, it’s pleasant to see the lockscreen as a modern locket, but in reality there’s a gulf between the pair.
Listen, I’m not a mobile hater. Quite the opposite. Imagine how blown away your young self would be if you showed them a modern iPhone. They’re breathtaking.
But here’s the kicker: a phone is a Swiss army knife. It’s very good at doing lots of things well, rather than one thing exceptionally.
The positive of this is versatility. The downside is a loss of magic.
Think of how much nicer it is using an actual camera rather than taking photos with your phone. It feels better — and this is repeated across all sorts of functions.
Using a bespoke device designed for a single thing is more elegant and meaningful than when it’s mushed up into a multipurpose tool.
A phone’s lockscreen is an imitation of a locket, yet is unable to recreate the feeling of one.
A display with a background photo is nowhere near as deliberate as jewellery designed for adoration.
But you know what? Grasp onto the feeling anyway. Seeing your lockscreen as a modern locket is heartwarming — and we should search the tech sector for this sort of worldview whenever we can.
Thing is though, if you really care? It’s probably better to just get the proper thing.