By Celia Thread | UNITED STATES
A family has formally recognized its group chat as the household’s primary governing body after discovering that no birthday, dinner, vacation, or minor disagreement can proceed without its approval.
The chat, titled ‘Family ❤️’ despite years of unresolved tension, currently has 37 members, four administrators, and one uncle who responds to every message with a thumbs-up three days later.
“We used to call each other,” said family member Rosa Medina. “Now we hold a poll, wait for everyone to ignore it, and then do whatever Grandma says.”
Minutes from the group’s latest session show a heated debate over Sunday dinner, interrupted by an unrelated video of a dog wearing sunglasses and a warning about a suspicious-looking weather forecast.
Experts in the field of Domestic Digital Governance say the system is surprisingly resilient, largely because nobody knows how to leave without offending someone.
The family is now considering a constitution, although the proposal has been delayed because the youngest cousin keeps changing the chat’s profile picture.
Photo: Kristin Hardwick / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. Photo source and license.
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Celia Thread covers culture & family for The Tea Bag Times. Meet our newsroom.
