A psychologist weighs in.
Through Baby Reindeer, Martha's frantic texts make up a key aspect of the show, acting as a reminder that she's never far – and reinforcing the many ways in which she infiltrates Donny's daily life. The messages are unnerving, harrowing and frankly confusing at times.
In reality, Richard Gadd's stalker sent him 41,071 emails, 350 hours of voicemail, 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages and 106 pages of letters, so it's no wonder the correspondence makes up such a big part of the Netflix show.
One consistent element in each of the texts, however, is Martha's inclusion of “Sent from my iPhone” – or should we say “Sent form my iphoen”? Several iterations of these, misspellings and all, feature in her messages to Donny, with the inconsistencies in her phrasing making it very clear that her communications are most certainly not being sent from an iPhone.
So why does she do this and what's the meaning behind it? Let's get into it.
Ed Miller/Netflix
Why does Martha write “Sent From My iPhone” in Baby Reindeer?
While it might initially seem bizarre that Martha signs off each of her texts with ‘Sent From My iPhone’ despite her not having one, it's a clear indication that she wants to put forward a certain image.
Speaking to GLAMOUR, Dr Becky Spelman, psychologist and founder at Private Therapy Clinic, says: "It is highly likely that Martha wrote ‘Sent from my iPhone’ at the end of messages – when she didn't actually own an iPhone – to create a perception of status or sophistication. She may have believed that associating herself with the iPhone brand enhanced her image or professionalism, and that this would increase the chances of Donny finding her attractive and desirable.
She adds: “By creating a favourable impression, we build trust and credibility in relationships. Insecurities about self-worth or a fear of rejection may also have driven Martha to try to impress Donny in this way.”
While 'Sent from my iPhone' in Baby Reindeer might be deemed Martha's effort to preserve a certain identity for herself, it also suggests mental health issues, with her initially offering Donny other false details about her life, such as her claim that she is a busy lawyer and political advisor for the likes of Tony Blair.
Given that ‘Sent from my iPhone’ features in each of her messages, it feels almost compulsive, while we know it to not be authentic as through the series we see Martha typing out the phrase from her laptop, while Donny opens her drawer of phones when in her apartment, only to find no Apple products.
While it might initially seem almost funny that she does so, this one simple yet deliberate action suggests a desire to present a particular identity to Donny of a successful lawyer.
Baby Reindeer is available to watch on Netflix now.