new-aesthetic:

People walking around when talking on their mobile phone is a common behavior. Referred to as “Cell Trance” in the Urban Dictionnary2, this way of moving back and forth is often seen in public venues such as hallways, sidewalks, train platforms, bus stops or shopping malls. To onlookers, the erratic perambulation looks aimless, as if the caller is detached from his surroundings, absorbed in a private sonic universe.

From Curious Rituals, a book about “gestural interaction in the digital everyday”, by Nicolas Nova, Katherine Miyake, Waton Chiu and Nancy Kwon.

via Alexis Madrigal and Jesper Balslev