Kakao Talk and Facebook [Book Review]

Abstract

Kakao Talk and Facebook: Korean American Youth Constructing Hybrid Identities by Jiwoo Park and Dafna Lemish is a vital addition to the literature that deals with identity development in the digital age. We live in an epoch when the technological devices we use afford us immense opportunities to form identities in virtual spaces. However, the most critical aspect of Park and Lemish’s book is that it delineates the process of creating hybrid identities—that links identity formation in virtual spaces to that of offline—of an immigrant youth group, namely the Korean American community. Throughout the book, the authors tackle the nuances of adolescent immigrant identity creation, such as the struggle of ethnic identity development, the practice of photo-sharing through smartphones, and bilingualism. By looking at the subject matter through the lens of segmented assimilation theory, this book's findings help make sense of the process by which immigrant children in the United States use digital media technologies, often creatively, to preserve and redefine ethnic identities while dealing with the local assimilative forces. Both authors identify as immigrants, which helps them develop a solid immersive methodology as they interview the Korean American youth who participated in the study.