Food for thought: Latin Americans online

From CyberJournalist.net
QuePasa.com Spearheads Citizen Journalism for Latinos
"QuePasa.com introduces QuePasa News Network, the first online Latino Citizen Journalism News Channel"

I believe that Latin American publications in the U.S. have dismissed online development for a long time. Yeah, there are websites, but they do not develop online content as far English American websites do.

While working in South Florida, I was told that the audience online just wasn't there for Latino media. Latinos don't go online, so why should we develop.

You should develop, because Latin Americans are not going to go through the same process of adoption of technology as English Americans. Latin Americans will make incredible leaps in a shorter periods of time.

For a long time, English American media has been going, "Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap!... What are we going to do? How do we manage this beast?" English American media has taken a reactive approach, instead of a proactive approach.

QuePasa.com is a major development in Latin American media. This marks the transition from proactive to reactive. Over the next couple of months and years, there will be a string of developments with Latin American media.

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Case study: The Czechs and technology adoption

My mother, a Czech, had no cable television, no television, no call waiting and used dial up for a long time. She only used the internet to check her email. (She had no understanding of the work that I do.)

After visiting the Czech Republic in January, I discovered that her sisters, who are not of a high wealth status and live in a rural area, not only had high speed internet, but they regularly used Skype and played RPGs that also them to interact with Germans, Italians and Slovaks.

I returned to the U.S. and shared this information with my mother. Over the summer, she called me to tell me she upgraded to high speed. I will never forget what she told me...

Mom: "Joo vill nehverrr giss vat I 'ave!" (You will never guess what I have)
Me: "What's that?"
Mom: "I git fast interrrnet! Aund... I can talk un de phun aund be un de internet et de same time. Can joo beeleaf dis?" (I get fast internet! And.... I can talk on the phone and be on the internet at the same time. Can you believe this?)
 
She saw my work for the first time.

Her decision to adopt came as a reaction from technological advancements in her own country. After talking to her, she explained to me that it was more influential to her, because she felt that as a Czech-American, she is suppose to be more advanced than a Czech in the Czech Republic.

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We need to look at how Latin media outside of the U.S. is developing and how it is being used to know where to develop Latin media in the U.S..

Also, we need to take into consideration, the age of my mother (sorry mom) and the age of most Latin Americans in the U.S.. My mother does not have the exposure to technology in her age, but most Latin Americans in the U.S. are younger than her. They are working adults with families. They have children, who are attending school. Think about how much technology has penetrated out schools.

QuePasa.com is a natural fit. Family and friends are important to Latin Americans, and it gives them a means to reinforce those connections.

We need to stop being passive about this and starting active, because it too late to be proactive. That time is over. It is reactive from here on out.