Why do people still pick up the phone and call each other these days? It is a question a lot of young people, especially Gen Z, find themselves asking. With texting, DMs, and social media, staying updated is just a tap away. Sometimes, a like on someone’s wedding photo or a quick message feels like enough to count as keeping in touch. But it was not always this easy. In the past, staying connected took real effort, which is exactly why people went out of their way to make it happen. It often meant standing in long lines or paying a hefty amount of money to simply make a single call from a public telephone booth. Yet, because it took more effort, it also meant you had to be intentional, and that made those moments of connection feel so much more meaningful. You knew that every call came with a cost, whether it was time, money, or both. When most people think of old-school telephone booths, the classic red British one usually comes to mind. It is easily one of the most iconic examples of historic communication, although the…
