Globalization and the Transition to Adulthood in a Maya Community in Mexico: Communication Technologies, Social Networks, and Views on Gender

The present article examines continuity and change in views on gender in a Maya community before and after a communication tower was installed in 2010. Interview data were collected in 2009 when participants were adolescents (n = 80) and then again in 2015 when they were young adults (n = 68). Values and beliefs for gender were measured using vignettes that were created through previous fieldwork (Manago, 2014). Young adults were also asked about their use of mobile phones and social media, and completed a social network mapping activity (Antonucci, 1986). Results showed continuities across time in self‐expression values for gender roles and relations, which was predicted by high school attendance during adolescence. Young adult men and those who had been to high school were more likely to use the internet and Facebook. Internet use did not predict values beyond the effects of schooling; however, it predicted greater proportions of nonkin in participants’ social network maps, which predicted greater self‐expression values for gender relations. Qualitative analyses of participants’ emic perspectives of the affordances of communication technologies illustrate how education and cultural values shape perceptions of the opportunities and risks of media use.