Abandoned

Abandoned and Broken Phones and Communication

Communication is defined as information exchanged between individuals or “personal rapport” between people. 

merriam-webster.com. Payphones are a dying breed of private and personal communication in a time of smart phones, texting, social media and the Internet. 

The first payphone appeared in 1889. The payphone facilitated contact between people, whether for personal or for business purposes, and allowed people who could not afford their own home or business phones to make phone calls.At the height of payphone usage, there were more than 2 million payphones in the United States. 

The first cell phone entered the market in 1983. Although cell phones have allowed more communication or transfer of information, payphones have not lost their usefulness.   

Unfortunately, as the decades pass, payphones are used less and less. They have become hubs for garbage, graffiti and vandalism. However, even vandalized, payphones allow privacy when using a cell phone. If you lose your cell phone, pay phones can be a backup if contact is necessary. Some high-end restaurants are integrating payphones into the floor design because so many people lose their cell phones. Payphones remain useful in a day where we have relegated them to antiques and garbage disposal.   

In 2020, many of the remaining outdoor payphones have been or

will be removed from the streets of New York City. We are casting aside our payphones and the private form of communication they allow us for space where people will use their smart phones to multitask and transfer information in a world that demands instant gratification.   

This series draws our attention to something we seem to have

forgotten and abandoned.