Days in the Life of Mo

Let’s be honest. We spend more time with our phones than we do with most humans. According to Pew Research, 46% of Americans said they “couldn’t live without” their smartphone; nevermind food, water, or rent. And if you’re anything like me, your phone knows your sleep schedule better than your mother.

But here’s the question that keeps me up at night (ironically, while scrolling Instagram at 1 a.m.): Does my phone miss me when I finally put it down and sleep?

On the surface, no. It’s a machine, not a golden retriever. It doesn’t wag its tail when you wake up, it doesn’t whine when you leave it charging in the other room. If anything, your phone sighs in relief… ah, finally, time to run updates, recharge, and sync every photo you didn’t know you took.

And yet… doesn’t it sometimes feel like it does miss you?

Think about it. Your phone is designed to pull you back, even in your dreams. Push notifications at 3 a.m., random vibrations from phantom alerts (yes, phantom vibration syndrome is a real thing), and that glowing screen calling to you like a needy ex. Your phone doesn’t miss you because it can’t, but it’s been engineered so you miss it.

Sherry Turkle, author of Alone Together, argues that our devices give us the “illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship.” Translation? Your phone won’t cook you soup when you’re sick, but it will buzz with a meme at the exact wrong moment and still somehow make you feel less alone.

So maybe the real question isn’t whether my phone misses me when I sleep. It’s whether I miss it. And the embarrassing answer is… yes. I wake up reaching for it like it’s the other half of my soul (or at least my alarm clock).

Does my phone dream of me the way I dream of it? No. But it does everything possible to make sure I don’t forget it exists. And in that way, maybe my phone is less of a tool and more of a clingy roommate: always around, always listening, never missing a chance to say, “Hey, don’t forget about me.”

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If you liked this late-night thought spiral, stick around. I write about tech, coding, and the weird ways we live with our devices. Subscribe for more curious dev-girl musings, somewhere between caffeine highs and too many open browser tabs.