Her family gave it to her for emergencies. She used it to binge YouTube Shorts.
Not random videos. Specifically: 30-second drama clips. A housekeeper who falls in love with her boss. A bullied girl who turns out to be a princess. Stories she giggled at. Stories her family cringed at.
Here's what her granddaughter figured out later.
Her grandmother grew up in wartime Taiwan. Running into bunkers as a kid. Hauling fish at the port by 15. Arranged marriage. Six kids. A small shop in Taipei. A life built around responsibility, not choice.
She never got to be a young girl.
The YouTube Shorts weren't bad content. They were a door she never got to walk through.
Most of us think about "reaching our audience" in terms of demographics and age groups. We split it into 18-24, 35-54, 55 and above.
But sometimes the most engaged viewer isn't who you expect. And the reason they watch isn't what you think.
Content doesn't always teach or inform. Sometimes it just gives people a feeling they never had a chance to feel.
That's worth thinking about.
The full story is in Business Insider, written by her granddaughter. Worth a read.