I I don’t want to sound dramatic, but a few weeks ago, something happened that has completely changed the way I view online content. I became attracted to AI-generated content. For someone who constantly feuds with his older relatives over how little they question what they see online, this was an extremely disturbing and humbling experience. And it got me thinking about how, during this holiday period, we can all use this as an opportunity to approach conversations with “Whatsapp aunties” in a more sensitive manner.
From ‘Whatsapp Aunties’ to ‘AI Aunties’
I think I have the perfect example of WhatsApp aunties. Tragically displaced from Sudan due to war, a permanently online group of women, some direct aunts, some not, but nevertheless all aunts, sit in a control room in their different cities and send daily broadcasts that simulate as closely as possible the conversations and updates they would have shared if they were still living in the same place. They also have office hours. As they clock in and begin to move, one can sense the beginning of the day in their respective locations: First, it’s a morning greeting, perhaps an ornate picture of Quranic verses or a graphic of flowers, wishing you a good day.
Again, hardcore stuff. Video excerpts from domestic war zones, clipped debates between political opponents, and sometimes entire YouTube episodes of interviews. This news is followed by a lighter variation (secretly my favorite): TikTok and Instagram reels of Arab celebrities with excessive plastic surgery, accompanied by scream emojis, footage of family and friends’ weddings around the world, captioned with love heart eyes. This stream intersperses with the longest voice memo you have ever received, asking how you are and telling you how they are, with an introductory and closing prayer session. It is sweet and relentless.
hey aunties
It’s all thrown in with an abandon that suggests no understanding or respect for phone memory limitations. Whenever my mother casually mentions that her phone is dying and says something about not having space, my heart sinks. I know that stale videos keep getting deleted for hours and hours. But what is most troubling is how much fake content it contains. WhatsApp aunties have become AI aunties. This was a problem even before AI became so sophisticated, but it has become much worse now. There’s harmless stuff out there; Cats hugging babies or penguins feeding themselves with cutlery. I try not to get too worked up about it or point out that it’s fake. But when Taylor Swift’s video supports the pro-Palestine movement, it’s impossible to miss.
The result is a series of exchanges that are both sad and infuriating. The aunties will either take it personally, as if I’m disrespecting them by saying that they can’t tell what’s real or what’s not, and will double down. Or they will express truly innocent confidence in the authenticity of online content, flooding the Internet with the same standards of TV or radio they grew up with.
Telling aunties that something is completely fake is like asking them to imagine that a TV news broadcast is not real. Furthermore, they are In fact Receiving news broadcast clips on your phone that are not real. You end up looking like a lunatic, trying to explain that a living, breathing, walking, talking person is mere pixels generated from signals.
to debate or not to debate
In a recent episode of Subway Takes, Comedian Ola Labib said We shouldn’t try to convince adults that AI stuff isn’t real. Their logic: Let them have their small luxuries. I understand what harm it is actually causing? But there is also an emotional element to it. The stuff of policing the elderly seems to me like an expression of a deep-seated fear that they are losing it, that their abilities are diminishing, as they succumb to the surprise attacks of old age and new technology and device addiction. I think it’s really disturbing for people to see that parents and relatives are increasingly becoming addicted to their phones and becoming slightly addicted, which leads to a kind of premature aging.
But there are also social and political reasons for pushing back. Aunties (and, to a lesser extent, uncles) have a huge amount of spreading power and a lot of free time. They wield a formidable authority, particularly in migrant communities, as promoters of values, as organizers and sponsors of social events, and generally as gatekeepers and holders of norms of community interaction. Collectively and individually, they are forces to be reckoned with, which makes dissent even more challenging and fraught with risk of dishonesty from powerful elders. But they are force multipliers in terms of spreading politically inflammatory or conspiratorial fake content, and when not challenged, they contribute to the general erosion of the information ecosystem and its associated political consequences.
how to help them
So, I would say talk to them, keep talking to them, but do it with kindness, with time and explanation, rather than frustration and panic. Maybe accept the content before pointing out that it’s fake – “Really cool!” After a while came up with “Actually, do you think this is real? I’m not sure”. Also, equip them with “tells”: video glitches, missing shadows, weird blinking. Consider how the world appears to them. This is a place that is changing so fast that it is not possible to absorb how it is happening. Our elders are also just getting older. With it comes all kinds of uncertainties and unrest; Loneliness, loss of identity due to retirement from work, and children aging out of parenting. Growing distances now often separate the elderly from their relatives and peers. Online content and its constant exchange is more than just sharing information; It’s a new language, almost fetish, to try to connect.
Remember that technology is evolving so rapidly that even the most savvy people have to stay alert. After praising the album cover art, a music video, an extremely talented singer, and a song with a great chorus, I have to be cautious. After trying to find the artist for several days, I was surprised to find out that it was all AI. This will happen to all of us. Welcome to Aunty Brigade. Please be kind. Break it down for me gently.
