Why is it so hard to put our phones down? Something keeps us attached. Something both pleasurable and anxiety-inducing. This video essay explores the experience of always-on computing through four new networked genres that have risen to prominence with smartphone culture: selfies, animated GIFs, supercuts, and ASMR videos. Seeking a way past technophobic and technophilic approaches to new technologies, this project seeks to describe why we're always on.
