Now that Nokias are a thing of the past and Smartphones are taking over the world, Autocorrect has become the phenomenon that everyone is talking about.

Several families and friendships have been ruined by the dreaded autocorrect. For some, it has become a false comfort before they discover that autocorrect had no part to play in their upsetting news.

One boy received a message thinking autocorrect was at work. The message came after he argued with his parents about curfew. It read, “Son, we‘re sorry. We‘re kicking you out of the house. Be gone by 1am.” The boy replied with “Haha mam, I‘m sure you mean letting me out of the house, be home by 1am. You got autocorrected.” The response was simply “No autocorrect. We want you gone.”

The boy in question then attempted to sue Android for €10,000 for the trauma autocorrect caused. He lost the case. “The problem with him is that autocorrect didn‘t do anything so he‘s basically suing us because his parents kicked him out, and autocorrect didn‘t mess that up,” said a spokesperson for the company. “If anything, he should sue us for the damage the Smartphone has clearly done to his brain,” he said.

But for some, autocorrect is merely a clever shield that doesn’t mess up have as many words as originally claimed. One boy attempted to break the news of his career choice to his parents, but quickly covered it up with autocorrect.

“Mam, listen. I was thinking I wanna be a dancer,” the boy sent. His mother’s reply was less than desirable. “What? But dancing is a girl thing, Gavin. You can‘t be a dancer people might think you‘re…I don‘t think it‘s a good idea.”

A heartbroken Gavin blamed autocorrect, saying “I‘m sorry Mam, the phone changed it. I meant a doorman. By the way, can I bring my…friend, Brian home for Christmas?”

Jenny Darmody