NewsTaco

By Juan Elizondo

Given the habits in my own home, I wasn’t surprised to read more evidence that Hispanics spend more time in social media channels than other ethnic groups in the United States. That was one of the findings of an electronic survey conducted in mid-February by American Pulse.

Facebook was the dominate social media channel for the three reported groups, with 60.7 percent of the self-reported Hispanics saying they visit the site at least once a day. Overall, more than half of the respondents said they visit Facebook at least once a day.

The survey also tested time spent and the frequency of visits onTwitter, Foursquare, Google+, Pinterest and LinkedIn.Those registered far lower than Facebook in both areas.

Alejandra Suarez is an assistant account executive at theHispanic-focused iNSPIRE! marketing firm and director of the Dallas chapter of Latinos in Social Media, a national nonprofit organization that seeks to empower Latinos through social media.

She says the communal nature of most Hispanic culturesdrives Hispanics to social media. That, in turn, creates another channel for advertisers to reach Hispanics.

Suarez says there is a wide mix of retailers and marketers who are successfully reaching Hispanic audiences in traditional and new media, as well as those who are trying but not hitting the mark.

“The key part of this is understanding this audience,” she says. “A lot of brands fail to recognize that this is not one giant audience and that you can’t talk to them as one big group.”

Suarez notes that there are significant differences among the bicultural nature of what iINSPIRE! calls Lateens, recent immigrants, and 2^nd and 3^rd generations residents who remain more firmly rooted in their native cultures. Layered within those generational differences are cultural and communication differences between people of various Hispanic origins.

Another challenge in marketing to Hispanic audiences is theresearch role that younger Hispanics take in purchasing decisions for products and services aimed at their parents and grandparents. That role comes, in part, because of language barriers, as well as access to and comfort with technology. The role of younger family members means advertisers must shape messages that appeal to those younger people while also providing the information that the older members of the family need to make their buying decisions.

“It’s challenging,” Suarez says.

Unfortunately, less than a third of the survey’s Hispanic respondents said they visit LinkedIn once a week or more and more than half said they don’t have accounts with LinkedIn, the social media of choice for professional recruiters, business owners and corporate hiring directors.

Social media is a great tool to stay connected to friends and family. The same power can be used to connect with people in our current fields of work and in the fields to which we aspire.

In addition to measuring total time in social media channels, the American Pulse survey looked at total time in all Internet channels. Blacks reported 7.2 hours per day on the Internet. Hispanics said they spend an average of 6.6 hours per day online. Non-Hispanic whites reported 5.3 hours per day.

Those findings also lend credibility to advertisers’ investments in online marketing.

[Photo By the italian voice]

Here’s something interesting to think about while you tap away at your keyboard: P365 dusted-off a Forrester Research study that claims:

forty percent of Latinos used the Web for content creation and sharing (blog, upload video and photos, create web-pages, etc.).  By comparison, only 12 percent on non-Latinos used the Internet for these purposes.

This is huge — politically, socially, economically. The same P365 report speaks of a new “digital divide” that has to do with access points (it assumes that most Latinos have access to the Internet) and digital skills.

It’s about quantity and restrictions; the more places you have to access the web and the less restrictions you have to use it, the more involved you’ll be. And the more internet autonomy you have, the more you’ll learn to participate:  ”do information searches, send text messages, tweet, share content.”

And because Latinos, as a group, are younger than most other Americans, they are more likely to to be economically engaged and politically active through the interwebs.

The question for non-Latinos — marketers; commercial and political — is how to reach this connected Latino community.  Thinkmulticultural.com has a good piece today about that:

We have all seen multiple charts and statistics that show that Hispanics are at the forefront of mobile device adoption and usage. We are aware that they have the highest penetration for mobile phones (eMarketer, 2011), that they over-index on smartphone adoption (Nielsen, 2011), and that they are more likely (vs. the general market) to use their mobile device to download music, play games, and access social networking sites (Scarborough, 2010). Unfortunately, most of the research out there regarding Hispanics and mobile technology focuses on basic penetration and usage data.

Their conclusion? Reach them where they live: “At any given moment, 45% of Hispanic shoppers at any retail location have their smartphone with them .”

[Photo By believekevin]

In many ways, I’m old timey. I would wear a bonnet if it were socially acceptable. I wish I could churn my own butter. In high school I often dressed like an elderly lady. I like old things—buildings, furniture, trinkets, books, music, and cheeses. I am often suspicious of technology. If someone gave me a Kindle I would throw it across the room like a Chinese star. I hate it when bars are covered with TVs. I don’t own an iPhone. In fact, my smart phone is such an imbecile, I canceled its Internet service. I’ve never Internet dated.

Remember house phones? Remember when they become cordless? Remember how exciting caller ID was when it first came out? Remember pay phones? Remember when peoples’ faces were not stuck in their gadgets and actually spoke to one another? O, the halcyon days of yore.

This may make me sound like a curmudgeonly old lady, but I don’t like the ways in which technology is eroding our manners and propriety. For example, one of my biggest pet peeves is when people leave their phones on the table during a meal. Part of it is that I feel that people should actually talk to one another. Also, I am obsessed with food and don’t want any distractions. (That’s another reason I don’t understand the fusion of sex and food. Yucky!) Once my boyfriend and I were at a restaurant and saw a miserable looking couple who were on their smartphones during the whole meal. We promised never to become that couple, not only because they looked bored and unhappy, but also because the man was wearing socks and sandals.

I love that I have such easy access to endless information on the Internet. However, that is also ruining my attention span. Having grown up without it, all I had was books, so I  would do nothing but devour stacks and stacks of them. I was insatiable!  (I’m so glad I didn’t have Facebook when I was in high school. Had that been the case, there would have would have been a Facebook campaign/page/group against my hair.) Now, I’ll be halfway through a news article and then suddenly be compelled to Google things like “ugly babies” (terrifying), “nose jobs celebrities,” “writers who had crappy jobs before they got famous,” “people named Kermit,” etc.

One-third of Americans use Facebook in the bathroom (cochinos). Facebook is obviously insanely popular. I know I often use it to post my silly musings, which I hope make people laugh. (I sure hope I am not the only one laughing.) I’ve also met several great writers who I then met in real life. It is also the place where I pimp my writing and share interesting articles. In sum, Facebook is very useful for me. However, I believe that social networking has also made people less social. There seems to be a serious lack of community in our country.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the United States is now the most anxious nation in the world and according to the 2002 World Mental Health Survey:

people in developing-world countries such as Nigeria are up to five times less likely to show clinically significant anxiety levels than Americans, despite having more basic life-necessities to worry about. What’s more, when these less-anxious developing-world citizens emigrate to the United States, they tend to get just as anxious as Americans.

What the hell is our problem? Why are we a bunch of miserable grouches? The Slate article posits that it is the lack of community that is making us so unhappy. Social networking has also, in some ways, replaced real communities when in reality, it’s flesh and blood humans who make us feel better. The overwhelming amount of information we consume is also a big factor. I know, for example, I was recently devastated to learn that Snooki was a New York Times bestselling author.

The Internet also enables people to be cowardly. (Believe me when I say that everything I write, I would say in real life. If you know me, you know that this is true.) People can be very cruel because they don’t have to show who they are. So many people are bullied and harassed by those who may not have the gall to do it to your face. Technology can also take over people’s lives. In this extreme example, a South Korean couple let their baby girl starve to death because they became obsessed with raising a virtual daughter in an online role-playing game. The Internet can truly be the worst place on earth.

I’m going to make more of an effort to snub technology. Last week at a social media conference, I tweeted so much I wanted to punch myself. Now I’m going to leave my phone at home every once and a while and check my email and Facebook less frequently (this is so hard!). I suggest that you, too, try to neglect your gadgets. Talk to people. Laugh! Take a walk. Live in the physical world without so many distractions. After all, when we’re on our deathbeds we’re not going to remember Facebook posts, we’re going to remember human beings.

[Photo By s.t.a.r.k.]

By Laura Donnelly Gonzalez, co-founder Latinitas

Navigating the youth conference circuit, I’m always astounded by enthusiastic representatives from corporate curriculum companies who swear the digital divide is declining, often through flashy multimedia commercials. Those of us working in the trenches of non-profit minority youth technology training stare quizzically at each other when these entities boisterously exclaim: “The gap is closing!”

For whom? We wonder, as over 93% of the girls and teens we serve with digital media education in Central and West Texas do not have a computer at home, and of the 7% who do, phone and Internet service is spotty, to say the least. I’m wondering where my enthusiastic colleagues are getting their data. Palo Alto High School?

Serving thousands of young Latinas ages 8 to 18 with Latinitas, I’m floored each year as this statistic barely budges, 11 years into the 21st century, decades into the Digital Era. Essentially, these kids have less access than my baby boomer parents, who at least, were using my Atari 800XL in high school to play solitaire.

The statistics are alarming, but in the spirit of Latino youth in the United States rising above adversity as a way of life, sometimes, Latina girls and teens are finding their own way. They find online resources, despite lack of access to laptops and Internet terminals. According to the Pew Research Center:

• Teens from low-income households are much more likely than other teens to go online using a cell phone and
• 35% of Hispanic teens use their cell phones to go online, compared with 21% of white teens.
• 21% of teens who do not otherwise go online say they access the Internet on their cell phone.

So what does a mid-sized non-profit focused on empowering young Latinas using media and technology do about this? We have created a series of activities girls can complete in after school clubs using available Internet access, but also at home through a family smart phone, which (crossing our fingers) we hope to see as the standard of cell phone technology soon.

Girls are not only using cell phone applications, but are creating them too.

My favorites generated this semester include “Trackarama,” developed by a Mexican-American student in a Central Texas middle school that keeps track of your most important deadlines and appointments existing in your head. I told her I’d be her first investor. She has to define its cost, purpose, competition and value in a short business plan. While other apps help with homework and others send off a bully-signal when one is approaching, others get comical assisting with ordering Church’s (or as many say down here in Tejas – “Churchy’s”) Chicken.

For my corporate peers claiming they empower youth with technology, I have yet to see one of your infomercials really put Latina girls at the helm of technology development through the avenues in which they have the most access — and that’s okay because we will continue to do so.

Latinitas is a non-profit organization focused on informing, entertaining, and inspiring young Latinas to grow into healthy, confident, and successful Latinas.

[Photo By Search Engine People Blog]

I love my iPhone. It’s my office in my hand. I can take a call, send a text, check my calendar, send an email and play “Angry Birds” from the comfort of wherever I am. But, this wireless wonder can also betray you like no other lover — especially, when not wearing the necessary reading glasses.

I was contemplating a second date with a man I had recently gone out with. I had cancelled a date with him due to sitter problems and was debating rebooking it. I was getting advice from a girlfriend via text while I sat in my parked car and my son took part in a summer camp. I had already texted my girlfriend that this man never laughed during our three hour-long, first date. I must not have been amusing or he lacked a sense of humor. Either way, I was on the losing end of this date. She texted back suggesting that maybe he was just nervous.

I text back:

“I know. I thought about it, and I’ll probably see him again. But tomorrow is too complicated because I’ve lost my sitter… If it doesn’t work out then, I’ll have to find the guts to say so.”

Did I mention that I’m not wearing my reading glasses — which I really do need to read clearly?

The nanosecond I press, “send” I realize I’m actually sending the text to… (vision clears a little) my humorless date!

“Ah!” I am mortified. “ How is this possible? Stop!” My heart is racing. My offending finger tries desperately to un-send the message.

“Abort! Abort! Abort!”

I hopelessly watch the fast progress of this massive, user-error and, soon-to-be, red-face moment for both of us. Where is the “escape” button for moments like these? Apple! This wireless wonder I carry with me like a security blanket has betrayed me. I shut it off and throw it in my purse.

I avoid my phone for an hour, hoping the “time erases everything” mentality will apply in this case. I turn it back on. No text message from him. It works! I’ve dodged the bullet and assume my humorless bow has written me off his, “women I want to date again” list.

Later in the evening, I hear that distinct chime alerting me I have a text message. Error recipient has responded!

“I got a text from you earlier that obviously wasn’t intended for me. Just letting you know.”

Guilt trip, please!

The wireless ball is now in my court. I tell myself, “You are not a coward.” I consider calling him but shame moves me to, text instead. “So sorry about that!! (I’m hoping the double exclamation punctuation shows my true embarrassment and earns me sympathy points) ‘Was ranting about my sitter situation to a friend.’”

I have not heard from him since. Guess he really doesn’t have a sense of humor. No doubt I am now officially on a more unseemly list. There is one remaining wireless communication problem. A day earlier, before the misdirected text was sent, he had sent me an email in response to my sitter-issue cancellation asking to let him know if and when I wanted to rebook our next date.

Is the wireless ball still in my court?

[Photo By Emily Rachel Hildebrand]

The Pew Internet & American Life Project published an interesting report this week taking a look at how we interact with our cell phones. As we’ve written before, this information is particularly pertinent to Latinos, who tend to access the Internet more from mobile devices.

The report basically found that cell phones are used in several ways by Americans, for everything from boredom to ignoring other people to emergencies. Here’s the gist of the report:

• Cell phones are useful for quick information retrieval (so much so that their absence can cause problems) – Half of all adult cell owners (51%) had used their phone at least once to get information they needed right away. One quarter (27%) said that they experienced a situation in the previous month in which they had trouble doing something because they did not have their phone at hand.
• Cell phones are an important tool in emergency situations – 40% of cell owners said they found themselves in an emergency situation in which having their phone with them helped.
• Cell phones can help stave off boredom – 42% of cell owners used their phone for entertainment when they were bored.
• Despite their advantages, some cell phone owners just need an occasional break – 29% of cell owners turned their phone off for a period of time just to get a break from using it.
• With advantages comes frustration – 20% of cell owners experienced frustration because their phone was taking too long to download something; 16% had difficulty reading something on their phone because the screen was too small; and 10% had difficulty entering a lot of text on their phone.
• Cell phones can help prevent unwanted personal interactions – 13% of cell owners pretended to be using their phone in order to avoid interacting with the people around them.

I know I’m guilty of at least some of these — quite frankly — I feel like my world is collapsing when I don’t have my cell phone. My life is so connected to that phone in so many ways, everything from my calendar to my email to directions to talking to my loved ones, that I cannot imagine life without it. Does this report describe you at all?

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD.

By Jessica L. González with assistance from Fabiola Rivas and Michael J. Scurato

Following up on our recent submission to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of a petition to deny AT&T’s request to purchase T-Mobile, the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) and the National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP) reviewed further arguments in support of this merger, which we find to be unsupportable by the facts. AT&T and T-Mobile’s joint arguments stretch nearly 230 pages, yet fail to address many of our concerns about this acquisition, outright ignoring many of them.

Notably, AT&T and T-Mobile – although suggesting that consumers have nothing to worry about regarding the effect of this acquisition on prices – make no promises to reduce or even maintain current prices. Nor do they promise to improve customer service and choice. At the same time, they concede that this acquisition would lead to layoffs. Substantial evidence in the FCC case docket suggests that this acquisition would result in less competition, higher prices, poorer customer service, less consumer choice and fewer jobs in the telecommunications sector.

AT&T and T-Mobile’s assertion that the acquisition would lead to lower prices is suspect. They suggest that the increased capacity that AT&T would gain through this acquisition would “lower the cost of serving additional subscribers and thus create incentives to expand output and lower prices relative to the levels expected in the absence of this transaction.” AT&T and T-Mobile’s attempts to rebut this evidence are unconvincing.

This is a much different story than the one AT&T presented to its shareholders, which focused instead on lowering the joint entity’s costs and increasing T-Mobile’s annual revenue per user. Conspicuously absent from AT&T’s shareholder presentation is any claim that it would reduce or maintain prices if the acquisition were approved. And again, AT&T and T-Mobile seem unwilling to make any similar promise to the FCC even as they are attempting to prove that this acquisition would be in the public interest.

In addition to their lack of clarity on pricing, mounting evidence suggests that, indeed, this acquisition would ultimately result in higher prices for a number of reasons. This is especially the case given T-Mobile’s history of exerting downward pressure on prices.

Finally, AT&T and T-Mobile fail altogether to respond to how this acquisition would impact AT&T’s poor record on customer service. Although they continually allude to the claim that AT&T customers would receive “better service,” AT&T relies on unsupported statements and letters from a few civil rights organizations – many of whom lack expertise on telecommunications issues – to argue that this acquisition would close the digital divide and, therefore, benefit people of color.

These claims seem to all pertain to reception problems as opposed to customer assistance for billing questions and technical support. AT&T and T-Mobile’s failure to even acknowledge arguments about AT&T’s lackluster customer service is troubling, especially as billing experts and retail employees appear likely to be pink-slipped if this acquisition is permitted, leaving even fewer employees to respond to AT&T and T-Mobile customers’ issues.

For instance, AT&T cites a brief letter that states that the ‘”benefits of this merger to the consumer, especially Latinos, are incredibly significant and would go a long way to erase the digital divide”‘ given AT&T’s plan to roll out Long Term Evolution (LTE), the latest standard in the mobile network technology. This argument is flawed because it is based on the incorrect assumption that wireless phones are substitutes for home broadband access. Petitioners strongly support efforts to close the digital divide; however, AT&T’s plans for LTE service would not accomplish that goal.

Cell phone Internet access does not provide the same opportunities as having broadband at home attached to a computer. Cell phone users cannot do homework, search for jobs, or utilize healthcare applications on their mobile devices. We agree with a statement from Brent Wilkes, the National Executive Director of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), which supports the AT&T/T-Mobile merger,  appearing in the February 1, 2011 issue of Broadband & Social Justice,  that:

To the extent that these new adopters would access this service over their cell phones, they would continue to have a substandard internet experience. And even if they could connect their computers to LTE service through their cell phones, they would still have to pay an additional fee separate and apart from the fees that they already pay for data services. This is not a cost-effective remedy to closing the digital divide, even as cost is one of the main barriers to broadband adoption, and the primary barrier for Latinos.

In a 2010 FCC working paper, “Broadband Adoption and Yse in America,” John Horrigan, vice president of research at TechNet, has also found that mobile broadband does not provide the same level of functionality as home connections. He finds that “mobile use is great for quick information hits and nuggets of information along the way, but it doesn’t lend itself to job success.”

A recent FCC report found that 36% of Americans who have not adopted broadband cite cost as the primary reason. The latest National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) report, Digital Nation: Expanding Internet Usage (2011), found that price is the main reason for non-adoption among Latinos with 35.9% saying that they do not have high speed access at home because it is too expensive.

We, therefore, have urged the FCC to hold a hearing to deny AT&T’s application. The harms to the public interest of this acquisition clearly greatly outweigh any potential benefits. The harms to the Latino community are even greater.

Jessica J. Gonzalez is the Vice President for Policy for the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC). Michael J. Scurato is a Staff Attorney and Fabiola Rivas a NHMC Intern completing her law degree for the Washington College of Law. Ms. González can be reached at jgonzalez@nhmc.org.

Resources

• “Digital Nation: Expanding Internet Usage” (NTIA Research Preview, 2011)
• Clary, Jacqueline, “Members of Broadband Opportunity Coalition: How LULAC is Promoting Broadband Adoption,” Broadband & Social Justice (Feb. 1, 2011)
• Falcón, Ernesto, “An AT&T/T-Mobile Merger Will Not Lower Prices,” Public Knowledge Policy Blog (June 15, 2011)
• Gallaga, Omar L., “Can mobile phones narrow the digital divide?,” The Statesman(July 4, 2010)
• Horrigan, John B., “Broadband Adoption and use in America” (OBI Working Papers Series No. 1 at 5) (Washington, DC: Federal Communications Commission, 2010)
• Kang, Cecilia and Krissah Thompson, “Hispanics trail other groups in Web usage, confidence,” The Washington Post (June 16, 2011)
• Stephenson, Randall, AT&T + T-Mobile: A World Class Platform for the Future of Mobile Broadband (PowerPoint: Mar. 21, 2011)

[Photo By mrbill]

A new text message program has proven effective in helping Latino immigrants in California take a serious look at their budget and allow them to save thousands of dollars in expenses. A project from Stanford University’s d.school (design) turned into Juntos Finanzas, a mobile text message program that helps immigrants keep track of their expenses over time, sending them a paper printout at the end of the month. Fast Company reported:

Juntos Finanzas, a new service geared specifically toward first-generation Latino immigrants, works a little like Mint, a little like Weight Watchers. Users log all their expenses by text message (since they tend not to have computers), and at the end of the month, Juntos sends them a paper chart, by mail, showing where all their money went.

That simple act, Juntos cofounder Ben Knelman tells Fast Company, has had a profound effect. In a six-month test, participants, who earn less than $40,000 a year, managed to save an average of $1,400.

Being able to see their expenses over time has helped some participants change cell phone plans, or re-evaluate cable bills, according to the Fast Company story. Ultimately, this seems to be similar to what people who use online banking access, but since immigrants are less likely to have computers with which to access those programs, Juntos Finanzas steps in. Interesting, right?

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD

[Photo By Okko Pyykkö]

Amalia Deloney is the grassroots policy director for the Center for Media Justice. She talked to News Taco about how the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile would reduce choices for Latinos who often primarily use wireless to connect to the Internet. The way it breaks down, she says, is this: If you control who can access the Internet, you control who has access to a good life. One can no longer access good work, education, healthcare or any other opportunities without the Internet, so limiting access to this is like limiting access to life.

Deloney previously spoke to us about Latinos and net neutrality. To learn more about Latinos and net neutrality visit Latinos For Internet Freedom.

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD

[Video By News Taco; Photo By Brent Nelson]

It’s true. That cell phone you’re using is frying your brain —at least according to a new study from the National Institutes of Health. The study found that 50 minute cell phone conversations increased activity in the brain immediately near where the handsets were; in other words, whatever electromagnetic radiation the phone is emitting is affecting your brain’s metabolism.

You say, “Sara, how does this possibly affect Latinos’ brains more than anyone else’s?” I say, look at the data we’ve reported.

Latinos have a 45% penetration rate for smartphones (those that have Internet), higher than the rates for whites and African-Americans. And so Latinos are more likely to access the Internet on their phones than whites — which means, overall, Latinos use their phones more than other ethnic groups in this country.

And if using your phone increases your exposure to electromagnetic radiation that affects your brain, one could assume that using your phone more means there’s more radiation you’re exposed to. But, researchers involved with the study still aren’t sure exactly how this exposure affects brains. The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

Brain metabolism simply means the neurons have been stimulated – a PET scan would show similar readings if someone was asked to perform a simple task like conjugating a verb – and there’s no evidence that increased brain activity is damaging, even over a long period of time.

Whew! Let’s hope we all dodged that bullet, although I’m going to start using my headset just in case…

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD

[Photo By BlatantNews.com]

The IRS has launched a new application for iPhones and Androids called IRSToGo, which allows the user to basically track their tax return. The app is free and specifically helps users track their refunds about 72 hours after the IRS receives their return. It allows you, by entering a social security number for example, to check on the status of your return and all information is sent over an encrypted server.

The app also lets users sign up for tax tips and check on the IRS’s Twitter feed.

[Photo Courtesy Apple]

I’m a pocha, loud and proud, and part of my pocha heritage is that I comunicate in Spanglish. Everywhere. In letters, in conversation, in emails, in cards and, most recently, in text message. But, BlackBerry hates my Spanglish and is constantly trying to correct it. In fact, it often changes my Spanish words to random English words when I try to send my messages, rendering them practically intelligible.

This is not just a BlackBerry problem, however.

As we’ve hammered on before on NewsTaco, Latinos are making up an increasingly large part of the populace. In short order, that means names like “Smith” are no longer going to be the go-to “American” surname for purposes of generalizing; something Victor Landa pointed out recently. Accents are going to become more common, as will non-English words in the American lexicon. Will technology catch up? This is not a short-fix Y2K problem, but a long-term issue that cell phone companies, Internet providers, banks, everyone will have to accomodate.

But back to BlackBerry. Let me give you a few examples. The phone turns “gracias” into “grass,” “mañana” into “banana,” “mucho” into “macho,” “chingado” into “changed,” “oyes” into “ones” and “amor” into “amok.” The latter, in particular, could probably create some problems along the way. The Palm phone I used to own would freak out in Spanish, too, but wouldn’t attempt to change my words via spellcheck before sending a message, which considering how much Spanglish I use, is really annoying.

Anyone else have this problem with their phones?