Imagine that a group of leading professors and cross-cultural consultants are assembled to discuss the kinds of research they would like to see in the next decade.
That meeting of the minds may very well develop into a “wish list” – posed in the form of questions- of the kinds of topics that will be high on researchers’ minds as they carry out research on third culture kids (TCK) in the future.
That meeting of the minds may very well develop into a “wish list” – posed in the form of questions- of the kinds of topics that will be high on researchers’ minds as they carry out research on third culture kids (TCK) in the future.
How is technology impacting the TCK experience?
TCKs Connect
One undisputed trend in this rapidly changing world is the growing impact of globalization and technology. In an era of immediate communication – email, instant messenger, mobile phones and Skype (Internet telephony) – “global nomads” no longer need to lose track of each other, or of friends and family. So what does this mean for TCKs?
Except for anecdotal accounts, there appears to be little or no research in this area. Does technology increase continuity in a TCK childhood? Does it make building long-lasting relationships easier? Does it impede some from fully immersing themselves in the new culture they’ve just started calling home? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
TCK specialist and retired Sociology professor Dr. Ann Cottrell recalls her days as a foreign exchange student at the University of Edinburgh in the 1950s and how technology limitations affected her life abroad. Back then she needed to first arrange an appointment to make her monthly phone call back home. It was such a hassle, she rarely bothered. Today, friends and family are only fingertips or a click away. It’s mind boggling how far we’ve come.
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