Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The Latino Digital Divide

Latinos and Technology


The Native Born Lead the Foreign Born

When it comes to the use of technology among Latinos, nativity plays an important role. Internet use and cell phone use are much higher among native-born Latinos than among foreign-born Latinos. And among young Latinos ages 16 to 25, the native born are more likely than the foreign born to use mobile technology to communicate daily with their friends. These findings emerge from two new analyses of a nationwide survey of Latinos ages 16 and older by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.

Fully 85% of native-born Latinos go online while just half of foreign-born Latinos do so. And when it comes to cell phone use among Latinos, 80% of the native born use one, compared with 72% of the foreign born. Results also reveal that use of a cell phone or the internet among adult Hispanics still significantly lags behind non-Hispanics. Among those ages 18 and older, only 64% of Latinos go online, compared with 78% of non-Latinos. An ethnic gap exists in cell phone use as well--about three-fourths (76%) of adult Latinos use a cell phone, compared with 86% of non-Latinos. These findings are in the "The Latino Digital Divide: The Native Born versus The Foreign Born" report.

A second report that focuses on Latino youth, "How Young Latinos Communicate with Friends in the Digital Age," finds that Latinos ages 16 to 25 use mobile technology to communicate and socialize with their friends more than other technologies. However, the native born are far more likely than the foreign born to send texts (65% versus 26%) and to use a cell phone (55% versus 29%) to communicate daily with their friends.

Both reports are based on the 2009 National Survey of Latinos, which was conducted from August 5 through September 16, 2009 among a randomly selected, nationally representative sample of 2,012 Hispanics ages 16 and older. The survey was conducted in both English and Spanish, on cellular as well as landline telephones.

Hispanics are the nation's largest and youngest minority ethnic group. In 2008, there were 46.9 million Hispanics in the U.S., representing 15.4% of the total U.S. population. Among young people, Hispanics represent an even larger share. Some 18%, or 7.5 million, of those ages 16 to 25 are Hispanic.
The reports, "The Latino Digital Divide: The Native Born versus The Foreign Born" authored by Gretchen Livingston, Senior Researcher, Pew Hispanic Center, and "How Young Latinos Communicate with Friends in the Digital Age" authored by Mark Hugo Lopez, Associate Director, Pew Hispanic Center and Gretchen Livingston, are available at the Pew Hispanic Center's website, www.pewhispanic.org.
The Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, is a nonpartisan, non-advocacy research organization based in Washington, D.C. and is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

source: Pew Hispanic press release

Monday, July 26, 2010

Come join PRSUN's own social network

Did you know that Puerto Rico Sun has its very own social network. Members include entrepreneurs, writers, artists, educators and even a lawyer or two. It is a diverse group of movers and shakers.

If you are a mover and shaker in the Puerto Rican community, you might want to join our social network. You can even customize your own page.

Come join us at Puerto Rico Sun

Yes, PRSUN is on Facebook and Twitter, but it is nice to have a social network of our own. Membership to the PRSUN network is exclusive and limited, so hurry and share your news and events with us.

Clarisel

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Spreading the Sunshine Award

Spreading the Sunshine Award

Thanks to Efrain Ortiz Jr. for honoring Puerto Rico Sun with The Sunshine Award.

LOL, Bronx Latino honored Efrain's Corner with a Sunshine too.

There's a lot of sunshine spreading in the Puerto Rico Sun community. )

Friday, July 16, 2010

It's my blogosversary!

Happy blogosversary to me...Happy blogosversary to me...Happy blogosversary to me.

Wow, it has been SIX YEARS since I have been blogging here on blogspot. While the Puerto Rico Sun project started as an e-magazine project in 2002, it was in 2004 that I started blogging here. I lived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, so this blog was born on the island (kind of).

These days I have been microblogging more on Twitter and sharing on Facebook and other social networks, but my mission remains the same: to inform, empower and build community.

This Puerto Rico Sun blog is just one of the community media and art projects that I am working as part of my independent community media and art business, Puerto Rico Sun Communications.

Thanks for being a part of the Puerto Rico Sun community for all these years. Thanks for your continued support of independent community media and art. Remember to follow @prsun on Twitter or "like" us on Facebook or LinkedIn.

With love,

Clarisel Gonzalez
editor and publisher, Puerto Rico Sun Communications
www.prsun.blogspot.com