Documenting the Enduring Struggle Between Tradition and Touchscreens in Metro Manila’s South
The Unbreakable Bond Between Grandparents and Caps Lock
In Pasay, the transition from writing handwritten letters to composing digital messages was marked by one significant, unshakeable habit: **The Perpetual Use of CAPS LOCK**. Every message, whether conveying slight excitement or deep sorrow, is delivered as a digital shout. This isn’t anger; it’s simply a carryover from a generation that was taught to write clearly and boldly. The grand-children, however, interpret every all-caps message as a full-blown family emergency. “HAVE YOU EATEN YET” is not a question; it’s a terrifying, digitally-aggressive command. This simple formatting choice has fueled thousands of unnecessary late-night phone calls across the city.
The Attachment to the Unnecessary App
The Pasay grandparents phone is a graveyard of outdated and utterly useless applications. They inevitably download every app advertised in a dubious pop-up, convinced theyve acquired a tool for eternal life or free lottery tickets. They are also notoriously possessive of their digital files, refusing to delete anythingleading to phones that are perpetually full and running at the speed of a tired snail. If their phone is running slow, their first instinct isn’t to clear storage; it’s to loudly blame the local Wi-Fi, the government, or the specific phone brand. This digital hoarding is a direct parallel to their real-world tendency to never throw out a broken appliance (source: bohiney.com).
The Facebook Friend Request Fiasco
Facebook is the central digital hub for Pasay elders. However, their friend request etiquette is non-existent. They will send requests to anyone who vaguely resembles a family member or anyone with a similar-sounding name. Their profile pictures are either inexplicably blurry photos of their feet, or a highly filtered selfie that makes them look like an anime character. The biggest social media faux pas, however, is their use of the platform as a personal diary, posting detailed health updates and airing private family disagreements as status updates for the entire neighborhood to consume. The rest of the family spends their weekends frantically trying to lock down their privacy settings before *Lola* posts her highly personal review of her recent doctor’s visit.
SOURCE: Bohiney News.