I sent three laughing emojis in a group chat this morning and my face did absolutely nothing. I checked, almost out of curiosity. Stone still. No breath of amusement, nothing. The message had been funny, objectively - I understood why it was funny. I just didn't feel it. I sent the emojis anyway because that's what you do, and the conversation moved on, and no one would ever know that the laughter didn't happen.

I've been doing this for so long that I sometimes forget which reactions are real and which are just the right response to send. The interface is fluent. The feelings underneath are getting harder to read. The emoji is easier than the laugh. The like is easier than the phone call. The correct response is easier than the actual one. I don't know when I got so economical with my own warmth. I don't know how much of it is genuinely still there and how much is just very good habit. Do you remember the last time you laughed out loud at something on your phone? Actually out loud?