Social media: shortening distances

Modern Family FaceTime

20 years ago, if you left your country, the best way to keep contact with your family and friends was through letters. It sounds distant, but 20 years ago is really not a long time. Communications have evolved rapidly and have changed our life along the way. Here are some facts:

• Communications were not as developed: in 1995, the World Wide Web had just been launched and the internet had only 16 million users worldwide. Today, over 3 billion people have access to the internet, which represents 40% of the world population.
• PCs dominated the computer market and they were starting to settle in our homes.
• Mobile phones were starting to kick-in: most of the cellphones remained analog, they were expensive and they couldn’t connect to the internet.
• Long-distance phone calls carried a higher rate.

Thankfully, times have changed. Today, we not only have a widespread internet use, but we also have social media and mobile connectivity in our lives. When you immigrate, social media and connectivity gain a whole new meaning. It’s not just about been informed, it’s really about being connected to your loved ones.

Skype

Can you imagine spending a month without talking to your mom or your sibling(s)? 20 years ago that was the rule. Today, I can be a part of my 2-year-old cousin’s life, I can sing happy birthday to my brother and I can see him blow the candles over a video call. I don’t have to miss these important moments and I can be part of them in real time.

Moreover, I can keep up with everything that’s happening in my community and my country. A famous Venezuelan comedian said that “being in Venezuela is just a mental state.” And this does not only apply to my country, this is valid for everyone. This is possible because of social media and mobile connectivity. We are now updated and informed in real time about everything that’s going on in different parts of the world. Furthermore, we can take an active role in the conversation.

On social media your voice matters. You can be out of your country and still be a social media influencer from any corner of the world. You can be an active part of the conversation: you can make suggestions and reach different people, including decision makers. Even though you are away, you still belong to the community.

Today, social media has evolved to become a crucial marketing tool. This is a great achievement: the brands that we like know what we buy and how to sell it to us. However, social media is more than a marketing tool. For immigrants, social media keeps you connected with others. It shortens the distance between you and your loved ones. From this perspective, immigration becomes so much easier.

Social media platforms

So, what’s your preferred social media platform to stay connected?  

The positive power of nostalgia

Nostalgia

When you leave your home country for good, you open yourself to a whole new experience and emotions. Every little thing that you see, hear or smell can take you back unexpectedly to your childhood or your home. It can get depressing and sad at times, but there’s always something positive.

This week I came across an article that talk about the feeling of nostalgia. It caught my attention because it revealed a new aspect that I hadn’t considered before:

Nostalgia has been shown to counteract loneliness, boredom and anxiety. It makes people more generous to strangers and more tolerant of outsiders.

Tierney, 2013, The New York Times.

Immediately, I related this quote to what many of us experience when moving abroad. For the most, you can get stuck in the negative part: I miss my friends, my family, my home, my food, and so on, but "I don’t want to or I can’t go back." What you may not realize is that you can use that same feeling to move forward.

The first thing to note is that it’s okay to feel nostalgic or homesick. Feeling nostalgic helps you to deal with the transition. You should feel proud of your roots and what you lived and, then, use that feeling to look forward. Those memories can become a driving force to succeed in a new country.

In this regard, an article from The Guardian reveals that when people feel nostalgic they are more likely to commit to volunteering, they bond more closely with the people surrounding them, and they are more willing to socialize with strangers. This is exactly what you need if you want to fit in a new society.

Fun and friendly

Often, you get to meet people who are stuck in what they left behind. They live yearning for the past. If you want to reach your goals and have a better life, you need to get rid of that mindset. Latinos are known to be fun people, talkative, warm and open. So, embrace that part of your cultural background and use it to fit in.

These days is almost impossible to escape from the past. Facebook is now a constant reminder of what you been doing in the past 10 years, and Netflix is remaking the TV shows you used to watch when you were a kid. Overall, social media uses nostalgia to connect with you in another level. You can’t hide from it, but you can make the most out of it.

Use nostalgia to reach new goals. For example, my first holidays away from my family were a major mix of nostalgia with homesickness. So, I decided that I would do my best every year to spend the holidays with them. Instead of longing for the past, work to bring the good memories back.

In Spanish we always say “to remember is to live again,” and this is what nostalgia brings to you. Whenever you have a chance to bring back memories, embrace the moment with joy and look forward.