The Digital Diaspora in Sunset Park: Information and Communication Technologies in Brooklyn’S Chinatown

City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2013 The Digital Diaspora in Sunset Park: Information and Communication Technologies in Brooklyn’s Chinatown Sarah Wendolyn Williams Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1759 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] THE DIGITAL DIASPORA IN SUNSET PARK: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN BROOKLYN’S CHINATOWN by SARAH WENDOLYN WILLIAMS A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2013 © 2013 SARAH WENDOLYN WILLIAMS All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Anthropology in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ___Michael Blim___________________________ _________________________ _________________________________________ Date Chair of Examining Committee ___Gerald Creed___________________________ _________________________ _________________________________________ Date Executive Officer Professor Michael Blim Distinguished Professor David Harvey Professor Emeritus Jane Schneider Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract THE DIGITAL DIASPORA IN SUNSET PARK: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN BROOKLYN’S CHINATOWN by Sarah Wendolyn Williams Advisor: Michael Blim My thesis is that, contrary to expectations that working-class Chinese immigrants would have less access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) and fewer skills in using them, struggling immigrants to Brooklyn’s Chinatown are skilled at using ICTs and do so on a daily basis, in ways that enrich their relationships and transnational participation. They are able to do this despite the severe limitations that ethnic enclave employment places on their time and opportunities, in part because of heavy use of affordable internet cafés in the neighborhood. Building on a growing body of literature on new media and diaspora, this thesis explores the implications for citizenship, belonging, identity, and kinship of the adaptive ways that working- class newcomers in Sunset Park find to acquire and use digital technologies. While the access they manage to achieve connects them to a larger circle of news, ideas, people, and learning opportunities than they would otherwise encounter, it does not eliminate the oppressive structural disadvantages they face. Much of the existing research on overseas Chinese in the U.S. (as well as mainstream media) focus either on elites, especially on their high educational attainment, or, on the other hand, on the economic struggles and systemic obstacles faced by Chinatown residents. These miss some of the richness of the everyday patterns and strategies, the sacrifices and ingenuity that ‘downtown Chinese’ -- in this case residents of Brooklyn -- use to squeeze more out of their iv limited resources and leisure time and to construct new lives that remain connected to the past. The high level of computer use and ownership I found is connected to the emphasis people place on nurturing family ties and ensuring the success of the next generation. The chain migration process links families, and sustaining the transnational ties that made immigration possible is a big part of the communication styles in this community. These include placing voice over internet protocol (VoIP) calls at a higher rate than the national average and even buying computers with that purpose in mind. This dissertation documents the intensity and sociality of ICT use in Sunset Park, which rarely occurs in the workplace, accentuating the importance of home ownership in the process, and of internet cafés, especially for young men. I also take up the censuring discourse about cafés, its connections to China and to the specter of internet addiction, analyzing the negative imaginary surrounding activity in these public spaces. There is an age and gender divide on evidence in the youth and masculinity of the internet cafés, but this does not reflect actual computer use in the home. That is documented with a ‘day in the life’ portrait of a typical extended, three-generation household, which shows how sharing computers and using them in shared space can create a family bond. Statistical data from the National Science Foundation have previously shown that Asians have the highest rate of computer use of any ethnic group in the U.S., across all income levels, and this ‘portrait’ demonstrates what that looks like by documenting the daily media practices of low-income Chinese in New York. Levels of formal education in the community are generally quite low; many lacked the resources to complete a secondary school education, yet still learned enough to have a relatively high rate of digital literacy. Reading Chinese-language newspapers was the number one activity people reported doing online, and many read print newspapers as well. Other specific online v behaviors are part of my analysis, including competitive gaming as a social experience and learning opportunity, along with the differences between the first and second generation in the ways they communicate. There are also some important limitations on how Sunset Park residents use computer technology, with more of a focus on entertainment and social media than national averages and less interest in cultural capital enhancing activities. This secondary digital divide is explored, along with related language issues. I found people to be very active on the Chinese social networking service QQ and avid consumers of Chinese language media, which help them stay informed and maintain close ties with friends and family but can also perpetuate a focus on existing social networks and limit development of English language skills. Heavy use of QQ’s services may also limit exposure to information not readily offered by this ‘gatekeeper’ portal, similar to the way that America Online did for English-speaking users during its dominant years in the early days of the internet. Overall, I conclude with a cautiously positive assessment of the role of the internet in working-class immigrant Chinese communities. Notwithstanding the hurdles people confront in their everyday lives and employment – and the negative discourse surrounding the youthful clients of internet cafes -- my data from Sunset Park, collected in both these cafes and in homes, demonstrate a range of benefits from internet use. Informants reported daily online activities and computer-mediated communication practices that enhance their limited leisure time and personal relationships. This high level of ICT use is no panacea, however, for reducing a structured social inequality that is a fact of life in ethnic enclaves like Sunset Park. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Nothing as big as a dissertation happens without a whole network of people who help bring it to fruition. I owe a debt to a number of friends and Sunset Park residents who assisted me in planning and conducting my fieldwork, including Stan Chan, Heather McMaster, and Siu Tsang. I am especially grateful to Yong Chen for her capable assistance in every aspect of the interviewing process, and for her friendship. Thank you to the whole Chen family: Heling Zhang, Zhi Ting Chen, Teng Miyu, Celine Chen, and Yong Chen, for sharing so much with me. Wei Zheng was instrumental in helping me explore the neighborhood through the eyes of a younger person and an internet café aficionado. I also want to thank all the people of Sunset Park who so graciously shared their time and their stories with me. Thanks go to Qiuyu Wang for first befriending me on a rainy afternoon in Beijing in 2002, and for the insights she has shared with me since. Kenneth Guest was very supportive in helping me hash out my thesis at a crucial juncture. Thank you to the other friends and family members who listened to me talk about my project, for all your support. At the CUNY Graduate Center, I especially want to thank my advisor, Michael Blim, and my committee members Jane Schneider and David Harvey. Thank you, for reading so many drafts along the way and offering your critical comments and insightful feedback to help me figure out what needed to be said. Thank you to Gerald Creed, Ellen Deriso, and everyone in the Anthropology department at the Graduate Center, for years of guidance and assistance. I also want to thank Stephen Brier, George Otte, and everyone in the Certificate in Interactive Technology and Pedagogy program at the Graduate Center, whose instruction helped to nurture my interest in the social consequences of digital technologies. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction……………………………………………………..……………………..…..1 II. Sunset Park: People and (Wired) Spaces………………………….………………….....21 III. New Immigrants’ Struggles………………………………………….……………….….61 IV. The Liu Family, Then and Now………………………….…………….….……………..93 V. ICT Use in Sunset Park: An Ethnography...…..……..…………….………….…….…127 VI. Conclusion…………………………………………………………….………………..179 VII. Appendix A: Methodology…………………………………………….………………208 VIII. Appendix B: Interview Questions……………………….……………….……………210 IX. Appendix C: Sunset Park Residents Interviewed……………………………………..212

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