Reflections on friendship and immigration in the tech era

Traveling to her parent’s home state of Oaxaca gave Elsa Mejia a chance to test the potential of social media to preserve friendships across borders. While observing the minimum effort with which friends can use online social networks to stay in touch, she recognized that some distances can’t be bridged by technology alone. “Staying in touch and maintaining friendships with people who still live in México today — even with all the communication tools available — is a choice we don’t all make… For those of us who do choose to learn more about our parents’ native land, it can instill a sense of pride and belonging — and it becomes easier to understand our families, their customs and traditions.” Read her commentary on The Know.