US-Latinos are tech-savvy and embrace new technology at a fast pace. They get excited about their gadgets and love to flash them around as status symbols. This is well and true for bilingual, bicultural Latinos, but what about the Spanish-dominant, less acculturated dad who also likes these gadgets? Often times, he doesn’t get what mega-pixels are and he isn’t going to spend time browsing over a manual to try and understand aspect ratios. In comes the Latino household ‘Digital Butlers' – the teenaged kids in the house.
On the surface this may seem like a perfect solution against cultural and technological barriers, but there’s a subtle power-shift between these parents and their kids. All of a sudden parents find themselves dependent on and at the mercy of their savvy, bilingual, smartass teenagers. This is where a relationship dynamic comes into play that’s completely against traditional and cultural expectations. Latino parents are stubborn, strong-willed, and apparently know everything there is to know about the world. For them to feel a loss of control or power to their kids equals being a ‘bad’ parent. It’s a threat to their sense of self-worth. Latino parents sometimes disguise and justify their dependency on their kids by acting as if they’re simply telling them what to do – it’s their way of keeping their power. On the other hand, the kids love it. At an age where autonomy, identity and rebellion fits are commonplace, these Latino kids see it as an opportunity to exert their knowledge and skills over their parents. Some may even loose their sense of respect towards their “lame” parents who, in their eyes, just don’t know what they’re talking about most of the time. As technology advances at a quicker pace and as Latinos become more entrenched in mainstream consumer culture, the power from being digitally savvy is becoming increasingly relevant in Latino households.
Truth
It’s not all about fun and discovery; there’s shaky ground where progress meets tradition, a place where even shiny new gadgets can create conflict and adverse feelings.
Opportunity
Turn digital oppressors into digital butlers for the sake of parents!
No comments:
Post a Comment