A closer look
Bandai released the Tamagotchi in 1996, accidentally sparking a massive psychological crisis in Japan where owners experienced genuine grief and required mourning services when their pixelated digital pets inevitably died. People became so intensely attached to these low-resolution LCD blobs that actual pet cemeteries in Europe and Asia began offering burial services for the plastic egg keychains, complete with tiny digital headstones. It turns out that if you force human beings to clean up digital poop and relentlessly push buttons to feed a needy piece of cheap electronics, they will form an unhealthy emotional bond that rivals real human connection. This bizarre cultural phenomenon essentially served as a grim beta test for modern social media, proving early on that we are perfectly willing to let our emotional well-being be entirely dictated by the demanding notifications of a soulless pocket computer
