Cellphone: Unseen Connections

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

What does your cellphone mean to you?

It’s almost impossible to capture in a single word the dramatic influence cellphones have had on human life. But many of us haven’t considered the ways our cellphones connect us to the natural world, and to an unseen global network of people, labor, and infrastructure.

Through more than 750 objects from around the world, multimedia installations, an interactive group chat, and a graphic novel spanning three gallery walls, explore the unseen personal, cultural, and technological connections your cellphone makes easier.

painted image of two people holding a phone taking a selfie in colorful garments with dog at bottom

LOOK FOR:

a hand holding cellphone infant of an array of minerals — Specimens representing the approximately 65 elements used in the average cellphone

image of 3 portraits of change makers — Stories from a diverse group of changemakers who are shaping cellphones’ present and future

dynatac — An array of objects preceding—and made possible by—our phones, including the first commercial cellphone, introduced in 1983

Did you know?

The best way to lower your phone’s environmental impact is to keep and use it as long as possible.

TO DO:

View a multi-wall comic about how our cellphones influence our lives, brought to life by artist Khary Randolph and writer Joanne Starer.
Explore the unseen infrastructure that makes your cellphone work.
Engage with characters from the comic in the exhibit's group chat and contribute your opinions.
Play games, repair a virtual cellphone, or drop in on a workshop in the Cellphone Studio.