Grandmother's Introduction to iPhone and YouTube Alters Daily Routines in Taiwan Family

An 80-year-old woman in Taiwan, referred to as A-Ma, received her first iPhone following a brief health scare involving dizziness and fainting. The incident occurred on her birthday, and a doctor attributed it to temporary low blood pressure. An aunt provided the device for emergency use, despite A-Ma's illiteracy, which required a week to learn the four-digit passcode.

A 6-year-old cousin introduced A-Ma to YouTube by downloading the app on her phone while watching Minecraft videos. She soon began viewing short romance videos that appeared in her feed. These included 30-second clips with dramatic plots, such as a housekeeper falling in love with her boss or a high school girl revealing her royal heritage.

Changes in Daily Activities A-Ma spent less time at the family store, which she co-founded with her husband in 1975 to sell handmade beef jerky and pork floss.

Mornings previously involved stocking shelves with her daughter, but she shifted to extended breakfasts while watching videos. During a visit from a friend who owned a sticky rice shop, A-Ma divided her attention between the conversation and her phone, leading the friend to leave early.

The author, a writer based in New York who visits Taipei every three months, observed A-Ma's decreasing attention span.

Family dinners, once a time for sharing stories from the author's work in a New York City ad agency, now featured A-Ma focused on her screen. On one occasion, A-Ma shared a video plot with the author, showing visible enjoyment.

Insights into Personal History The videos offered A-Ma access to entertainment depicting young adulthood scenarios.

According to the author's mother, A-Ma grew up in wartime Taiwan, participating in air-raid drills as a child and working at a fishing port by age 15. Her parents arranged her marriage to a neighborhood boy, after which the couple had six children and relocated from their village to Taipei to establish their business.