Technological tensions and alignments in the e-village: Ethnography of the human + machine relationship

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2011-05

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Abstract

The purpose of this research was to begin to understand and describe the complex relationship between a cultural group and an established technology. The research began with the guiding questions how does this technology support the cultural group, how does this use differ from historically documented uses of the technology, and how does that use support or refute theories regarding online technologies? The study employed ethnographic methods to collect and analyze surveys, observations, interviews, and artifacts. This data uncovered moments when the technology failed to support the needs of the user group. It also discovered areas of alignment between the technology’s affordances and the user group’s desired experience. These findings indicated that members of the Samoan diaspora are attempting to connect with each other, using a palagi system of communication to achieve this connection. However, within this technological communication system, users are selective in what technologies and faucets of the technology they choose to use, and they choose to use it in ways that both reinforce and create their own cultural experiences. This technology appears to be particularly beneficial to users who are geographically displaced from their cultural heritage but who are seeking to establish and reinforce their cultural identity.

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Keywords

Samoa, Cultural identity, Facebook, Technological agency

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