Pasquale has a shelf in his house dedicated to old phones, framed by LED lighting that glows like a portal into the past.
His most prized possession is an HTC Dream (T-Mobile G1), a bulky 2008 model that features a slide-out physical keyboard and was the world’s very first Android smartphone.
“It’s a true relic of a tech world that has now disappeared,” the sociologist from Foggia, Italy, told Euronews Next.
Old mobile phones - often called dumb phones - have become increasingly popular in recent years as younger generations in particular seek to reduce their screen time and reliance on algorithmic dopamine.
Between 2021 and 2024, there was a 148% spike in dumb phone sales among 18-24-year-olds, according to a study in the journal Partners Universal Innovative Research Publication.
