It turns out TikTok’s viral clear phone is just plastic. Meet the ‘Methaphone’

A viral clip of a woman scrolling on a completely clear phone with no user interface briefly confused—and amused—the internet. But the truth turned out to be far more literal than most expected.

Originally posted to TikTok by user CatGPT, the video quickly racked up over 52.9 million views. In the comments, some speculated it was a Nokia model; others guessed it came from the Nickelodeon show Henry Danger.

“This looks like a social commentary or a walking art exhibit. I’m too uncultured to understand,” one user commented. “It’s from a Black Mirror episode,” another wrote.

Turns out, it was none of the above. Just a piece of plastic. The woman seen in line is also the one who uploaded the clip. In a follow-up video posted days later, she shared the “true story.”

“This is a Methaphone,” she explains. “It is exactly what it looks like, a clear piece of acrylic shaped like an iPhone.” The “device” was invented by her friend as a response to phone addiction. “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?” she continued.

“This little piece of acrylic feels like a physical artifact that directly responds to this collective tension we all feel about how our devices, which are meant to make us more connected, are actually having the exact opposite effect.”

A 2023 study by Reviews.org found that nearly 57% of Americans reported feeling addicted to their phones. Some admitted to checking their phones over 100 times a day, and 75% said they feel uneasy when they realize they’ve left their phone at home.

In the comments, many questioned whether pretending to scroll on a chunk of plastic could actually help with phone addiction. “This sounds like [an] SNL sketch,” one user wrote. “What stage of capitalism is this?” another asked. Some were simply disappointed it wasn’t a real phone.

Despite the skepticism, the Methaphone raised $1,100 on Indiegogo. The campaign has since closed, though the creator says more may be produced if demand is high.

Priced at $20, with a neon pink version going for $25, the Methaphone “looks like a simple acrylic slab—and it is,” the page reads. “But it’s also a stand-in, a totem, and an alibi. It’s the first step on the road to freedom.”

https://www.fastcompany.com/91338263/tiktok-viral-clear-phone-is-just-plastic-methaphone?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss