Smart phones… making the world look drunk and literate one auto-correct at a time.
~Author Unknown
It started when we got my grandmother an iPhone. Technology had never been her forte; we had laminated lists and handwritten directions on sticky notes all throughout her house to help guide her through things like changing the input on her television so she could watch a movie, and then how to change it back again to watch cable. Despite these notes and directions, I would often get a phone call when she wanted to do something technological that I had helped her with on a previous day. It was endearing, and any reason to talk with my grandmother was fine by me. But I could sense her hesitation with the smart phone, and I would be lying if I didn’t admit I had my own misgivings when the family wanted to get her set up with one.
She had had an iPad for a few months and seemed to be managing well with Facebook, e-mail, and copying recipes and pictures. There were a few extra features that made the iPhone more complicated, plus the screen and keyboard were smaller. Nonetheless, we all took a deep breath as a family and embarked on this new adventure of teaching our grandmother to use an iPhone.
It took a little time, but she caught on quite quickly. Before I knew it, I was receiving text messages… from my grandmother! It was incredible, since I knew quite a few people in my parents’ generation who were still resisting the move toward smart phones. I loved being able to communicate with my grandmother more frequently throughout the day, and thought she was the coolest grandma ever.
We set up a group text for her so she could text all of us at once when she had a message of common interest, for example the next morning, when she was making biscuits and gravy for everyone. She texted us all to come for dinner when she wanted to use her new spaghetti serving-bowl. My grandmother loved nothing more than to cook, entertain, and have her family together in one room.
So texting proved to be convenient for everyone, and my grandma liked how connected it allowed her to be with the family throughout the day, despite everyone’s complicated work schedules.
I have found the most difficult thing about texting with people of a certain age is the use of acronyms or abbreviations, such as LOL (laughing out loud) or SMH (shaking my head). These are standard abbreviations for younger people, but more difficult to figure out for people who did not grow up with smart phones.
We were texting as a family one evening — all of us spread out across the state of Colorado — and my grandmother created her own shorthand. We were getting ready to sign off, and she sent a text that said “gnstgbyaily.” She was answered with many question marks, but then my aunt replied, “Think about it.”
Hmmm, the more I thought about it, the more confused I became. Another text from my aunt came through: “Think about what Nanny always says before we go to bed.” That did it. It was the magic light bulb that triggered all of our sleepover and childhood memories with our grandmother. Before we went to bed, she would always say, “Good night, sleep tight, God bless you, and I love you” before gently kissing us on the forehead and tucking us in to sleep.
“Gnstgbyaily” became a ritual. It was how everyone in the family started signing off at night.
Then, one night, I had gotten a new phone. When I signed off and typed in my “gnstgbyaily” to signal to my family I was heading off to bed, my phone auto-corrected before I realized it, and I sent the words “Gangsta Billy.” Oh, man! I quickly began typing to correct this silliness of auto-correct when I got an uproarious response of laughing emojis and LOLs flooded my screen. “How did your phone even auto-correct to that?” my aunt inquired. I had to admit, it was quite hysterical, and became our new family favorite. My phone lovingly contributed and learned this new habit of mine when I texted within my family. The first time my husband saw “Gangsta Billy” written across my phone from a text my grandmother had sent to the family, his face scrunched up, and he inquired, “Who is this Gangsta Billy your grandmother is talking about?”
I couldn’t stop laughing, but I eventually settled down and told him the origin of our newest family member.
~Gwen Cooper
