Kristen Stewart Has an Interesting Theory About Text Messaging

The Personal Shopper star weighs in on modern technology.
Image may contain Kristen Stewart Clothing Apparel Coat Jacket Leather Jacket Human and Person
Kristen Stewart at the 2017 Sundance Film FestivalPhoto by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images

As her career has evolved, Kristen Stewart has taken on many new forms. She went from promising child actress to teen vampire-lit heroine to reclusive movie star to Euro indie art-house queen. Naturally, in the course of all that change, Stewart has seen and learned much—far more so than a regular person twice her age, even. She knows answers, has keen insights into the nature of things. If you have a probing and eternal question, Kristen Stewart might be able to help you. For example: what are text messages?

Many have wondered! We use them all the time, because they’re so much easier than calling and, ugh, talking on the phone. Just send a quick text with a prayer hands emoji and, boom, you’ve reconciled with your estranged mother. It’s as easy as that! But what are text messages? Inquiring minds want to know. Luckily, then, V magazine did an interview with Stewart, and got her to comment on just that. Presumably because her excellent, eerie new movie, Personal Shopper, uses text messages in a truly frightening way. (Seriously, it’s one of the few times I’ve seen modern technology actually be scary instead of goofy, in a movie.) So, Kristen Stewart, what are text messages?

“With text and social media, it’s essentially a dialogue with yourself and your interpretation of a shadow. It’s not invalid; it’s a new language.” Which, well, O.K., we didn’t ask about social media, but that’s fine. So text messages are an interpretation of a shadow. I like that! It’s very in-keeping with the tone of the film, too. When we’re texting we’re just interpreting shadows, using a new shadow language, Shadowese, that will probably someday replace our main language. If it hasn’t already.

There are other interesting excerpts from the V interview, as Stewart is a serious thinker and admirably open about her self-reflection. But none are as compelling as the text message-shadow theory, a poetic notion that is both chilling and oddly romantic. Next time you guiltily send a “u up?” to an occasional bedmate, or sheepishly type “Sorry, new phone, who is this?” comfort yourself with the knowledge that you’re not reducing the beauty and complexity of human interaction to a stripped-down, impersonal form that is pushing us all away from one another even as it seems to draw us closer. You are, in fact, doing something almost supernatural: you are communicating with your interpretation of a shadow. Why, you’re practically doing an art piece every time you send an “I had fun last night” to that person you think you had fun with the night before. Doesn’t that make everything feel more special? So many shadows to interpret! Thank you for that, Kristen Stewart. And everyone go see Personal Shopper. Really. It is weird and good.