Third Culture Kids
Many people don’t know that President Barack Obama and a number of his cabinet members were Third Culture Kids (TCKs). According to the U.S. State Department, “a Third Culture Kid is known as someone who, as a child, has spent a significant period of time in one or more culture(s) other than his or her own, thus integrating elements of those cultures and their own birth culture, into a third culture.” Although many people are not familiar with this term, it is necessary to acknowledge different cultures especially when countries are becoming more interdependent: economically, socially, and politically. The term “Third Culture Kids” was first coined by sociologist and TCK Dr. Ruth Hill Useem forty years ago, when the Internet and dozens of networking tools did not exist for people like her. Many agree that this is the age of Information Technology, when a person can instantly reconnect with a friend thousands of miles away. In today’s society Internet is available for most parts of the world, technology has become a positive tool that transforms the TCK culture today.
Technology has progressed significantly from the invention of electricity by Thomas Edison to the advent of the World Wide Web. This intricate network has connected billions of people across the world; it is needless to say that technology has changed all forms of cultures, even becoming a culture of its own. According to a Gallup poll, “Americans' frequent use of the Internet has almost doubled over the last five years; 48% now report using the Internet more than one hour per day compared to 26% in 2002.” This is an important fact because it provides information as to how many Americans are being influenced by the Internet, thereby including the TCK population. However, the most important change the Internet has brought upon the global community is the democratization of information among those who have access to the World Wide Web. In today’s Internet culture, anyone has the right and ability to interpret opinions online and also voice their own. As third world countries develop into an industrial society, TCKs will solve problems that might arise from neo-colonialism, defusing potentially insidious threats that may ruin many lives in a country.The ongoing ‘Arab Spring’ situation is a direct result of the free flow of unaccountable information on the Web, but it demonstrates the fact that the Internet has brought change across all cultures in the world including the TCK culture.
The ‘Internet’ has become a culture in itself. As Dave Healy describes it, “From one perspective, the Internet represents, for community-minded citizens, an almost limitless potential for an associational life. No longer limited by geographical happenstance to the interactions that might develop in a town or neighborhood or workplace, individuals can free themselves from the accidents of physical location to create their own virtual places.” (University of Exeter) Healy explains that communities are no longer bounded by physical distance, and people can connect with each other regardless of the physical limitations. Even when isolated from others, a person is simultaneously connected to a global community. The Web is such that anyone can be immersed in a culture that is almost limitless in knowledge, whether desired or not. When the United States was first discovered, it was known to many as the ‘new frontier’ or the as the ‘new world’, likewise the Internet has arguably become this ‘new frontier’ for American society.
Third Culture Kids stem from all nations across the globe, as sons and daughters of diplomats, businessmen, army personnel, and preachers. Often, these kids are immersed in as many as three or four different cultures and also speak many languages. Though they seem worldly and educated of different cultures, many do not have a definite identity of what they are. When asked the simplest question, “Where are you from?,” answers will be more than complicated but also very personal. Most TCKs are also very accepting of other cultures and are open in their way of thinking. Ruth Van Reken, author of Third Culture Kids, exclaims, “Many ATCKs are now in positions of influence and power. Their capacity to often think “outside the box” can offer new and creative thinking for doing business and living in our globalizing world. But that same thinking can create fear for those who see the world from a more traditional world view.” Reken summarized the importance of TCKs and their influence towards the globalizing society, but on the other hand it creates problems for those who are very conservative in terms of globalization and diversification.
As mentioned earlier in the paper, President Obama was a TCK, and a number of his cabinet members were TCKs. However, many people were unaware of that fact, or even the term itself. President Obama spent several of his formative years overseas in Indonesia from 1968 to 1971 in an Indonesian elementary school. In addition, a number of his cabinet members including Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor for President Obama, grew up in Shiraz, Iran and London, England. Other members of his political team were also TCKs, including Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and National Security Advisor James L. Jones. Political pundits and the general public have focused on determining Obama’s racial identity, but they have ignored his cultural identity. This lack of knowledge about the TCKs is detrimental to society as a whole. It is necessary to know about certain cultures, especially TCKs, when many of them become political figures and important members in the global community.
Ultimately, Internet technology and TCKs have become one. TCKs use and live by Internet technology in order to solve their problems today. While most people do use Internet technology to connect with friends and family members, TCKs have high importance in using Internet technology to go on with their lives. Many TCKs have identity conflicts arising from their complex cultural backgrounds. They struggle with self identity and many are detached from friends. They often struggle with relocating to new places, some even encounter depression in failing to adjust to their new environment. According to the U.S State Department, “By the time a TCK is a teenager, he has either become adept at coping as the new kid on the block or has withdrawn into himself, no longer making the effort to make new friends over and over again.” (Kay Eakin) However, this has changed in the past five years. No longer do TCKs have to say goodbye to their friends once they relocate to another country. Thanks to the age of Information Technology, anyone can reconnect with friends or family thousands of miles away. These social networking tools did not exist 20 years ago and that is why many TCKs struggled with self-destructive problems. However, TCKs now have the chance to be able to keep their friendships and relationships alive, by using tools such as Skype, Facebook, Twitter and so on. In short, Internet technology and TCK culture have become a distinct, yet diverse culture. It has become a necessity for TCKs, to avoid possible problems such as depression, addiction, and other negative behaviors. Thus, Internet technology has saved the TCK culture.
TCKs will only have a greater importance in a growing global community, making it important for the uninformed to know about the TCK culture. As TCKs don’t have a concrete identity; they associate themselves with many ethnic cultures, and many have aloof personalities. A prime example of someone who possesses this personality trait is President Obama, he presents himself as someone who is above all problems, someone who understands the global society; someone who feels empathy towards others. Internet technology has changed and has been infused into the TCK culture. Internet technology, especially Facebook and Skype has had an especially big influence on TCKs. It has changed many cultures, though it is uncertain as to how Internet technology will affect third world countries and cultures.
Works Cited:
Morales, Lymari. "Nearly Half of Americans Are Frequent Internet Users." Gallup.Com - Daily News, Polls, Public Opinion on Government, Politics, Economics, Management. Gallup, 2 Jan. 2009. Web. 03 July 2011. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/113638/Nearly-Half-Americans-Frequent-Internet-Users.aspx>.
<http://services.exeter.ac.uk/cmit/media/texts/porter1996/healy1997_cyberspace_and_place.pdf>.
Van Reken, Ruth E. "Third Culture Kids - Telegraph." Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph Online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph. The Telegraph, 13 Nov. 2009. Web. 04 July 2011.
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