I was sitting quietly in my corner, scrolling through my phone, when something unusual caught my attention—my contacts list. Not because I had received an important message or missed a call, but because of the bizarre and coded way I had saved some of the names.
At that moment, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. If anyone else picked up my phone, they would struggle to make sense of the names I had saved. But to me, every single one of them had a meaning—a story only I understood.
A Personal Mystery
While some of my contacts were saved with their full names, others were coded in ways that would leave a stranger puzzled. I had names like You Only, Killer, Tema East, Kokomlemle Inn, Houses, and even Between. They might seem random to an outsider, but to me, each name carried a memory, a joke, or a reference to how I met the person.
At first, I thought I was alone in this strange habit of saving contacts in cryptic ways. But then, out of curiosity, I decided to check a friend’s phone. What I saw had me laughing even harder.
My friend, who is married, had an even stranger way of saving names. Some of the contacts I came across on his phone included Please Left, Momo Through, High Jump, Blue School, 69 Front, and Sweatthings. I was so confused that I had to ask him why.
His response was simple but cryptic: “Get married, and you will understand.”
Not satisfied, I probed further, and his explanation made me laugh even more. he said, “you need to save contacts in a way that only you can decode. You don’t want unnecessary questions at home.”
My Psychology Behind Coded Contacts
I decided to ask other people why they saved numbers in such strange ways, and I discovered some interesting reasons:
Some said, “Location-Based Names because of the place they met the person.” For example, if they met someone in Kasoa, they might save the contact as Kasoa Guy.
” Business or Transactional Labels because of the kind of business they do with the person, like Momo Man or Car Spare Part”, she added
Memory Aids – Many people admitted that they often forget names, so they use descriptions instead, like Tall Man, Church Lady, or Friday Market or Fiifi Left Hse
Privacy and Discretion – Some deliberately code names to prevent prying eyes from identifying certain contacts, especially in relationships or business dealings.
Inside Jokes – Others save contacts based on inside jokes or funny incidents, ensuring that only they (and maybe a close friend) understand the meaning.
What Are We Protecting? What Are We Hiding?
Looking at the way people save numbers, it raises an interesting question: What exactly are we protecting, and what are we hiding? Is it just about making our contact lists personal, or are we concealing relationships, transactions, or secrets?
Whatever the reason, one thing is certain—our contact lists tell stories about our lives, our experiences, and sometimes, our secrets. So the next time you pick up someone’s phone and see a contact saved as “Don’t Pick”, “Problem Man”, or “Last Warning”, just know—there’s definitely a story behind it.
Fiifi Nettey
Media Consultant
