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SOCIAL MEDIA THROUGH THE EYES OF THE WORLD

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Polymedia within a single conversation

In northern Chile, Facebook and WhatsApp are the most popular forms of social media. But people also communicate face-to-face, through traditional text messages, via telephone calls, on Skype, and by email. 

A conversation that starts through one mode of communication may quickly switch to another. A telephone call may end abruptly so one person can send the other a photo through WhatsApp, or forward a meme through Facebook Messenger. If phone signal is poor (as it is in much of the city), and a call cuts out, the individuals may switch to Skype if they think the wifi signal is stronger than the phone signal. And if important information is shared, they will send documents or sensitive information through email instead of social media. In this collage of social media use, northern Chileans combine a variety of communications media to fit their needs, often simultaneously. 

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