Dialing Up 150 Years on the Phone
We discuss what looking back on how we used the phone can teach us about restoring connection and meaning in our lives.
March 27, 2026
52 min
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3,269 of 3,393
March 27, 2026
Dialing Up 150 Years on the Phone
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America the Jesuit Review Episodes Around March 27, 2026
Episode 3,269 of 3,393 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
Dialing Up 150 Years on the Phone
Summary
150 years ago this month, Alexander Graham Bell placed history’s first telephone call. And even though phones have changed — from a black metal cone mounted on a wooden base to today’s all-encompassing smartphones — they’ve remained a steady presence in our lives. What’s the first type of phone you used: a rotary, cordless or the iPhone? How does your relationship with the phone differ from that of your parents or grandparents? We’ll discuss what looking back on how we used the phone can teach us about restoring connection and meaning in our lives.
Guests:
Izzie Ramirez, freelance writer and editor
Heather Kelly, technology reporter
Emily Dreyfuss, culture editor, The San Francisco Standard; co-host, "Pacific Standard Time" podcast; co-author, "Meme Wars: the Untold Stories of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America"
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