Social Media in Northern Chile

Based on 15 months of ethnographic research in the city of Alto Hospicio in northern Chile, this book describes how the residents use social media, and the consequences of this use in their daily lives. Nell Haynes argues that social media is a place where Alto Hospicio’s residents – or Hospiceños – express their feelings of marginalisation that result from living in city far from the national capital, and with a notoriously low quality of life compared to other urban areas in Chile.

In actively distancing themselves from residents in cities such as Santiago, Hospiceños identify as marginalised citizens, and express a new kind of social norm. Yet Haynes finds that by contrasting their own lived experiences with those of people in metropolitan areas, Hospiceños are strengthening their own sense of community and the sense of normativity that shapes their daily lives. This exciting conclusion is illustrated by the range of social media posts about personal relationships, politics and national citizenship, particularly on Facebook.

Praise for Social Media in Northern Chile

'Provides valuable insight into the ordinary lives of a community that is certainly marginalized, but not helpless ... The book would resonate with readers seeking to understand the pervasiveness of social media even among communities assumed most likely not to have access.' Journal of Latin American and Caribbean anthropology

'[This book makes] a necessary intervention in a field that has been traditionally focused on Western contexts and by extension, Western platforms.'
Tapuya: Latin American Science, Technology and Society