As a kid, the only TV character I considered technologically savvy was Zack Morris. Dude had a cell phone as big as my arm, but it was a cell phone nonetheless. Fast forward 15-20 years later and the role of smartphones, texting, and the Internet on TV and films has dramatically changed. No longer are these things just mere accessories or background props — they are the devices through which major plot lines develop, devices that impact an entire movie or series. House of Cards, anyone?
Tony Zhou, a filmmaker and editor based in San Francisco, examines the evolution of this phenomenon in a short clip entitled A Brief Look at Texting and the Internet in Film. It’s pretty neat.