Claire Moll

Fieldwork in El Salvador

My fieldwork in rural El Salvador explores the ways in which people enact their values of solidarity and unity amidst the contexts of uncertainty. One of the ways in which people do this is through generating networks of trust amongst one another through shared experiences. There has been much concern among older generations that technology, as it relegates much interaction to the digital realm, is hindering people from connecting with one another in meaningful ways which stunts the cultivation of trust networks and in turn challenges the continuation of their values. However, contrary to the common discourse, ethnographic evidence shows that people are in fact integrating technology into the traditional ways of building trust between one another. These photos demonstrate just that. One woman is getting out the word about the upcoming women’s march, a group of friends from a community savings and loans group scrutinizes the selfies they took while walking along the road, and boys, all members of a drumline, cheer as one of the older boys plays a game on his phone. Salvadorans’ daily use of technology as such connects themselves to others, arguably facilitating shared experiences in the real world.

#womensmarch

#selfie

#multiplayer