In a world of sentient phones and similar devices, what would be a predator of them?

I am in the process of writing a story about a world populated by electronic devices, with a focus on smartphones and similar devices. Given that the devices have all been affected by nuclear energy, which has caused them to essentially become mechanical lifeforms that function like organic ones, the ecosystem in which the characters dwell functions similarly to an ecosystem populated by organic lifeforms. This means that some species are predators, and others are prey, with the phones, being small and fragile, likely to become prey to larger devices. So, what devices in such a world would prey on phones?

Toilets

Hmm... I have a few questions, if I may:

First, what determines a device's ecological role?

Second, and relatedly, what determines how a device behaves in the world—whether it's fast or slow, aggressive or passive, and so on and so forth?

Further, does this ecology include an equivalent of a herbivore—maybe something that feeds on natural electrical fields?

And finally, what form does predation take? Do predators crunch up the physical structure of prey devices, or do they drain them of power, or something else again?

Hmm... I have a few questions, if I may: First, what determines a device's ecological role? Second, and relatedly, what determines how a device behaves in the world—whether it's fast or slow, aggressive or passive, and so on and so forth? Further, does this ecology include an equivalent of a herbivore—maybe something that feeds on natural electrical fields? And finally, what form does predation take? Do predators crunch up the physical structure of prey devices, or do they drain them of power, or something else again?

The device's role is determined primarily by the size of the device, as well as how many of those devices are present.

Smaller devices tend to be rather aggressive as a survival mechanism; the phones themselves will often attempt to fight back, due to having the primal fear of predators.

The phones and smaller devices I have chosen to be this world's herbivores, because I, a vegan, do not feel comfortable with having characters who are not carnivores by species eat animal flesh.

The predators crunch up the physical body.

Ah, okay, I see—thank you for the explanations! ^_^

So, in that case we'd be looking for devices just a little bigger than smartphones—the next "ring" in the chain of predation.

So... Netbooks (i.e. small laptops), perhaps, or monitors, or various kitchen appliances, and so on.

Hmm... If I may, I note that your new ecology seems—to me at least—somewhat skewed towards predation: if everything above 'phone-size is a predator, then I would think that most devices would be predators.

Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Apr 17th 2022 at 9:46:46 PM

How exactly are we assuming these creatures would hunt? Or would that be determined by what devices they end up being?

I could see a blender being analogous to a pitcher plant or antlion, for what it’s worth m.

The toilets would be like their Sorlac Pit

Why don't you make phone the predator and the human brain the prey?

Microwave ovens. Those damn things eat everything they can fit in their mouths.

And much like a spitting serpent, they might bring their microwave emissions to bear as either a debilitating hunting tool or as a baneful defence.