A glimpse of the new iPhone 11 and the three circles highlighting the phone's camera set up is reportedly triggering trypophobia in some people.
iPhone's Multiple Cameras
Apple refreshed its iPhone line-up and announced the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max during its annual September event. The three new models look strikingly similar to their predecessors iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR but the camera hardware and software are taking center stage as what might be the new phones' most important features.
There are three cameras on the back of the iPhone Pro phones and two on the back of the iPhone 11. All three models have a wider-angle lens and new computational photography software.
The camera of the iPhone 11 camera has an ultrawide wider-angle camera that joins the regular camera. The higher-end Pro and Pro Max models retain the telephoto lens of last year's iPhone XS models but widen the lens' aperture for better low-light performance.
Internet Calling Out iPhone 11's Design
The triple-camera system on the back of the iPhone 11 is housed inside a rounded square-shaped camera bump. The cameras are placed so close together that they resemble three black circles. The design of the cameras is said to create a "deeply unsettling image of trypophobic terror" among those with trypophobia.
Internet users even took to social media their reaction to the iPhone 11's camera design. Twitter posts show images comparing the new iPhone to lotus stems which is considered as a typical trypophobic image that is uncomfortable to look at.
What Is Tryphophobia?
Tryphophobia is described as an intense, irrational fear of small holes or patterns clustered together — it could be clusters of circles and bumps, such as in those in a honeycomb, lotus flower, or bubble bath.
When people see them, they feel deeply unsettled and bothered. While it is not officially recognized as a mental disorder, it can generate a feeling of disgust, nausea, and anxiety in people.
"The phobia arises in part because the inducing stimuli share basic visual characteristics with those of dangerous organisms," according to research from the University of Essex.
About 5 percent of the population has shown some kind of reaction to such kind of images, said An Lee, a doctoral student who studied about trypophobia.
Reactions could range from very severe reactions to mild dislike. Trypophobia is also similar to other conditions and phobias, and anxiety disorders.
