This week there were two stories in the news on how technology has impacted people's lives. One story highlighted how technology can improve life while the other demonstrated how it can be used to amplify people's negative traits. The Hardy family used social media to pressure a pharmaceutical company to use their new drug to save their son who is battling a deadly virus. The second story was about eight students from Mahopac, New York who were suspended for making racist tweets after losing a basketball game against Mount Vernon. In the case of many Latinas like me, I think technology can change our lives for the better!
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1. Life-changing and -saving inventions: Thanks to the cochlear implant, my son, who was born profoundly deaf, has been able to succeed in the hearing world. My daughter's best friends' lives have dramatically improved thanks to diabetes products like the insulin pump which make it easier for them to manage the disease. I'm sure that technological breakthroughs like these will grow exponentially!
2. Stay connected to our familia: Thanks to Skype, WhatsApp, texting and social media, I am constantly connected to my family who lives abroad. I am always sharing slices or moments of my life through pictures, updates and even videos. My daughter and I are constantly texting one another although she's away at college. This connectivity has allowed me to deal with the pain of having her far away!
3. Knowledge at our fingertips: Whether I am faced with some new issue that's afflicting my kids, a new government policy that affects my family or a natural catastrophe that has hit my patria (Chile), the internet provides me instance access to all I need to know! Knowledge is power and it has allowed me to deal with very difficult decisions I've had to make recently around my family's well-being.
4. Preserve our Latin culture: I use apps and social media to stay connected to mis raices! I am constantly on MamásLatinas engaged in conversation with Latinas like me. I turn to Pandora to listen to my favorite Latin hits and to discover new ones. I go on ¿Qué Más? to get new Latin recipes for my slow cooker. I remember how hard it was to get my daily dose of Latin culture before the internet came along!
We need to make sure that technology doesn't become a negative influence in our lives. I try not to let my kids go on their own personal devices for entertainment. On the weekends we still all gather around the TV or go to the movies as a family!
Image via Corbis
