From Physical to Virtual Love: How Does WhatsApp Help the Latin Community Stay Connected?
Since its launch a few years ago, WhatsApp's Voice Notes feature has not been receiving good feedbacks from those who tried it. But the mother of Venezuelan journalist Anto Chavez tells a different story.
In an article, Chavez described how her mom dearly loves the app and how it has made and kept the Diaspora community connected anytime, anywhere. Chavez even wrote that she doesn't know anyone so fond of WhatsApp's Voice Notes "as much as my mom does."
According to the journalist, there's something about Voice Notes that is making her mom feel quite more connected to an individual on the other side of the screen. Additionally, she said that in her immigrant mother's world, text messages seem too distant.
She added that calls are sometimes a privilege. Chavez continued to say that working 48 hours a week in a place that needs a lot of energy and strength, her mom hardly had time for anything but to sleep every time she got home.
How Voice Messages Helped her Deal with Homesickness
Admittedly, Chavez said many times that she's the one who doesn't have the chance and time for calls. However, she stressed, too, that her mom is indeed one of the most influential people in her life, and thus, not being able to spend time on the phone with her was a huge deal.
More so, the young journalist shared that for some, it may seem impossible to let go of the past after leaving their country, their friends, and, most of all, their family. But memories indeed, follow them everywhere.
Chavez said that for other people, moving out for higher education may mean living in apprehensions about losing touch with loved ones, more particularly, with the people at home.
"For me, voice messages ease my way of dealing with these individual battles and transport my mind to live in more than one space at a time," the journalist explained.
Chavez also explained that as she got older, there was a transition from physical to virtual love. Thanks to voice notes, that turned out to be her means of this kind of affection.
Recalling her 17th birthday, the writer said she had just moved from Venezuela to Miami, where she lost a lot of traditions--much like any other teenager. It was her first time to spend her birthday away from her dad and brothers. And, although she got to talk on the phone with her family, she said what got her through the day were the voice notes she received from them.
The difference is that she got to play those voice notes whenever she wanted repeatedly.
WhatsApp Voice Notes Dominating Latin America
The Voice Notes feature of WhatsApp is also used to organize efforts within a community. Any individual with an internet connection and a phone can download the app for free and reach people across the globe.
Additionally, the accessibility of this platform contributes further to disseminating information among the members of the community, and the voice message itself lets the communication seems more personal.
What's real is that, from building community and political education, to long-distance relationships, the voice messages of WhatsApp, as well as other and convenient ways of communicating brought about by technology, have undeniably kept the people of Latin America close at heart.
The recent worldwide spread of COVID-19 has wholly moved how a lot of people interact with their loved ones. And as an outcome of this public health crisis, Chavez said she believes that connecting through Voice Notes is real, something that "will get us through these difficult times."
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