Behind the Buttons

It's kind of crazy, how many discarded cell phones I find on my walk to work. I had blogged about the triptych at Lancaster station. Just a few yards to the west, I found yet another phone carcass the next day. Interestingly enough, it's the same brand and model. Differences in the IMEI and S/N numbers suggest a slightly variation in vintage or production. Otherwise the electronic board was identical with the previous find. This carcass is missing its keyboard. So what you see in my sketch is the metallic shapes that receive the pressure every time the user dialed a numbers or letter. Like the preponderance of Newport cigarette boxes, the discarded cell phones invite some archaeological questions. Is it common to jettison a cell phone? Surely some consumers recycle their phones, but what happens to the vast majority that don't? Is there any significance in the brand pattern or the value of the phone (dumb or smart)? Are these Samsung models particularly cheap and more likely to break? Is there something temporary, or sinister about these tossed phones, perhaps used in activities that necessitated instant disposal? For more Lancaster phone carcasses see here and here.


Lancaster Object 012
Location: 40° 03'12.83"N, 76°18'34.08"W
McGovern Ave., Lancaster
Date: February 22, 2012