A mental model is simply a representation of how something works. We cannot keep all of the details of the world in our brains, so we use models to simplify the complex into understandable and organizable chunks.
Companionship content isn’t consumed just for information or entertainment, but as a proxy for having company around, a way to mitigate the awareness of lacking it, or to make an otherwise dull task enjoyable — with a companion.
"Edwin Land started working on become Polaroid when he's 19 and worked on it till he's 70. Who the hell works on something from 19 to 70? That's incredible."