IN 2007, Dani and Rudi were best friends who were almost inseparable. They were both known as the ‘deadly duo’ who had always been close friends since high school. One day, Rudi told Dani that he had just bought a new cellphone with a feature considered sophisticated at that time: ‘auto-correct.’
“Dani, my new cellphone has a smart feature! It can correct wrong words automatically!” Rudi proudly showed his new cellphone.
Dani raised an eyebrow, curious. “Seriously? So your cellphone will correct all typos? It seems cool.”
“Yup, this cellphone is smarter than us, bro,” Rudi said confidently. Without them realizing, this was the beginning of a funny story that would challenge their friendship.
One day, Rudi was busy doing his assignment and forgot to come to his afternoon coffee appointment with Dani. Feeling guilty, he quickly sent an apology message:
“Sorry, Dani. I forgot because I was busy with my college assignment, I promise I’ll ‘pay in full’ tomorrow.”
However, auto-correct had other plans. The message that reached Dani read:
“Sorry, Dani. I forgot because I was busy with my college assignment, I promise I’ll ‘pay lunatik’ tomorrow.”
Dani replied, “Pay lunatic? What do you mean, bro? Why pay using ‘lunatik’?!”
Rudi reread his message, and after realizing auto-correct changed the word, he chuckled. “Ah, relax, Dan. I meant ‘pay lunatic’, not lunatik.”
Dani laughed as he replied, “I thought you were starting to be weird, bro! Okay, I’ll wait tomorrow.”
But this small incident was just the beginning. Over time, auto-correct became the source of misunderstanding after misunderstanding between them.
A few weeks later, Rudi received a dinner invitation from Dani. Rudi intended to reply with a simple sentence: “Ready, bro. I’m ready to eat anything you order!”
However, auto-correct struck again. The message sent to Dani changed to:
“Ready, bro. I’m ready to eat the ‘magic’ thing you ordered!”
Dani, confused, called Rudi directly, “What do you want to eat, Rud? Magic? Do you want to eat magic?”
They both ended up laughing out loud, but Dani began to suspect that Rudi might just be looking for an excuse to avoid responsibility when the strange messages continued.
Until one day, the moment that tested their friendship really came. Dani, who was heartbroken, chatted with Rudi about his ex. He typed at length, hoping for support from his best friend.
However, Rudi, who was in a hurry, intended to send a short reply, “I’m always on your side, bro.”
Unfortunately, auto-correct once again messed everything up. The message that reached Dani was: “I’m always on ‘limp’’s side, bro.”
Dani immediately became angry. He thought Rudi was mocking him in the midst of his heartbreak! “What do you mean, Rud? I was just pouring out my heart, but you called me weak?”
Rudi, who had just realized the auto-correct error, panicked. He quickly explained that he meant “on your side,” not “weak side.” But Dani was already annoyed and decided not to reply to the chat for two days.
Finally, Rudi decided to come directly to Dani’s house and bring his best friend’s favorite souvenir, chocolate martabak. “Bro, I’m so sorry. It’s all auto-correct’s fault, I didn’t mean to make you angry.”
Dani glanced at the martabak and smiled slightly. “Okay, maybe I can forgive you. But promise me, from now on, don’t trust auto-correct anymore!”
Rudi laughed and raised his hand in agreement. “Deal, bro. If necessary, I’ll turn off the auto-correct feature on my phone!”
Dani patted his shoulder, “Now that’s a true friend. Besides, new phones aren’t always smarter than us, huh.”
Eventually, they laugh together, and their friendship is back to normal. Although there are still typos here and there, they choose to blame auto-correct, while still laughing about how crazy technology can ruin friendships—only if we are not wise enough to understand each other. (*)
