Phone Dilution

It's no big secret how prominent cell phones and communication have become in today's first-world societies.  They permeate every aspect of our lives and we rely on that ability to instantly get in contact with nearly anyone of our choosing to be a properly functioning member of that society.  This is all the more true for millennials like myself as by the time we were becoming self aware enough to want to communicate with others, cell phones and the internet were becoming cornerstones of life.  Even the most basic of basic flip phones only capable of calling and texting vastly opened the world of the young teenager who received it.  I don't know what life was like before everyone had a cell phones, before the internet became an integral part of everyone's lives.  I've imagined it from time to time and I've seen Hollywood depict those earlier periods of the 70's and 80's, but they've never emphasized this missing part of life quite like White Album has.

White Album takes place in 1986 and follows university student Touya Fuji who is dating the up-and-coming pop star Yuki Morikawa, or idol as they're more often referred to as in Japan.  Understandably, Yuki's schedule as a rising idol is packed to the brim with rehearsals, training, recordings and the like which leaves very little time to spend with Touya, or anyone outside the industry for that matter.  This places strain on their relationship and is exacerbated when Touya is essentially told to stay away from Yuki by her manager.  The only way for Touya to effectively communicate with Yuki is by good old fashioned land lines and White Album places these phone calls squarely in the spotlight.


In a time before cell phones, before caller ID, and before even answering machines were prominent, a call between one individual and another was significant as it was something that was not so easily established.  There was a sort of deliberation to them that isn't present between cell phone users today.  A connected call meant that both individuals were in fixed locations, with the caller knowing exactly where the receiver was.  As Touya busied himself with jobs and other activities and his schedule became more irregular, the times when he could actually talk to Yuki on the phone were merely happenstance.  Chances where they just happened to be in the right place at the right time.  While Yuki had an answering machine to receive her calls for her, Touya did not which meant he couldn't even tell when Yuki tried to call him.  This made the few phone conversations they did have all the more important.  They held a special meaning beyond simple communication because when the next time they could talk would be, neither of them could know.

Lack of available communication also emphasized the value of scheduling and adhering to said schedule, which episode 4 made painfully clear.  A miscommunication caused Yuki and Touya to arrive at their date spot at different times, which resulted in them missing each other the entire day as they searched for one another.  They eventually stumble into each other by chance at dusk, but the pain you feel as the modern day viewer from wishing they could simply call or text each other is distinct.

As a millennial, I've constantly been exposed to various people and outlets who say that our generation doesn't appreciate direct verbal communication anymore because of how cell phones, the internet, and social media have made such communication less relevant.  While I always kept such thoughts in the back of my mind it never really dawned on me until watching White Album just how easy we have it.  The way that all the characters, not just Yuki and Touya, respected each and every phone call they made and received lent a type of sincerity to them that I rarely feel when talking on the phone. It's a strange feeling where I appreciate the conveniences we have today, but also almost feel like I missed out on having those kind of sincere communications in the past.  I honestly can't tell if this actually affects myself in any capacity, but I do think that at least obtaining this awareness was worthwhile.