“A state of permanent receptivity — that phrase describes us today, and not just when we check our various devices, but also in the few minutes left in between. What news might come in, what gossip, what report? What might our own compulsions to broadcast draw forth from others? Kracauer’s description of people listening to the radio sounds familiar too: “Silent and lifeless, people sit side by side as if their souls were wandering about far away”.:

Times Literary Supplement, June 2022.