Technology?

Social media is amazing. I have been able to plan and set up skype meetings with the people that I will be collaborating with. I have even been able to get a hold of the other kids that were taught by this organization as well. It is crazy to think that I haven’t talked to them in about 13 years, and now all of the sudden we can communicate. “We were only kids then,” Caren said to me over Facebook. I am going to have the opportunity to see them again!

I’ve been thinking a lot about culture and communication. And how much, and quickly things are changing. We have been learning in class a lot about symbols and gestures. How they are interpreted very differently across regions and cultures. I agree. I have to flip a switch whenever I am talking in Spanish or English. It is not that simple to do. The language yes, but the mannerisms and even the humor is completely different. When you learn a new language and live in a new country, it is not only about knowing the translation of the word, but also knowing what it means.

So now that Facebook exists, will this mean we are kind of creating a new language? A new way to communicate with others in the say way? People in El Salvador know what a “pared” is, you wall. They know how to chat with people, granted it is in Spanish, but still. It is interesting to see how even within the standard chat, there are different abbreviations for things.  In Spanish they are very different than English. They don’t know what lol means. So, does this mean that even through this generic medium, different cultures are still being developed?

Since it is a fairly new thing, there is not much information about it. By this I mean research and stuff. But we can observe it. I bet I will learn their own abbreviations of things in Spanish while I am down there. It’s a whole language. In the future this will be how we reach out to people.  In fact we already do. FUNDAMUNI has a profile on Facebook. I already liked it. Through the internet they are posting information about their events. The youth as well as the sponsors can be updated and informed this way.  I wonder how much technology I will find in the rural area of Chalatenango. I am guessing maybe a cibercafe…but to be honest I’m not sure what to expect. Maybe I am underestimating the access or innovations this little town may have.