The Hispanic population’s embrace of mobile technology is increasing community awareness and organization of specific political issues, which may catapult the group to the political forefront in the upcoming election cycle.

A survey last year by Pew Research found that more than 87 percent of English-speaking U.S. Hispanics owned a cell phone, as opposed to 80 percent of non-Hispanic whites, and 53 percent of them used mobile devices to access the Internet, compared to 33 percent of non-Hispanics. And, compared to the general U.S. population, Hispanics reportedly use their mobile phones more often and take advantage or more features on the devices.

“The use of cell phones builds upon the cultural affinity for close connections and opens the way for organized political and social action,” said a recently published report, “Connected Hispanics and Civic Engagement,” published by the Hispanic Institute, or HI.

The growing mobile networks centered on civic engagement comprise of “feature phones,” a less expensive smartphone which still has text messaging, e-mail, mobile web and social media features, as well as smartphones.

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The New York Times

Fabiola Santiago lives in the Miami suburbs, two miles from her 81-year-old mother and 87-year-old father, whom she looks after. As the single mother of three grown daughters, she might live in the city or in Miami Beach if she had no family responsibilities — but to her, that’s like saying she’d fly if she woke up tomorrow with wings. It’s a fantasy.

For Ms. Santiago, 51, as for many other Hispanic adults, familialismo — the expectation that family members will support and assist one another, including aging relatives — defines adult life. “Family takes care of family,” she said.

Her parents fled Cuba in 1969, bringing Ms. Santiago and her brother to the United States. When Ms. Santiago’s first daughter was born, her mother quit her job to care for the child, enabling Ms. Santiago to pursue a career in journalism. Eventually she became a staff writer at The Miami Herald.

“My parents left everyone they loved and everything they had so that my brother and I could live in a democratic country,” said Ms. Santiago. “How could I not take care of them now?”

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Hispanic or Latino? Do people prefer one over the other?

Roberto R. Ramirez, head of the ethnicity and ancestry branch of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Division, says, “They are considered interchangeable,” by the Census.

Do Hispanics or Latinos feel the same way, or do they have a preference? Do they give it much thought these days?

Sen. Juan Pichardo, 44, who was born in the Dominican Republic and came here as a teenager, says that for him, the two words have become interchangeable enough that people don’t think about them as much.

“Latino and Hispanic are pretty much the same. Early on, about 10 or 15 years ago, that used to be the question. ‘Are you Hispanic or Latino?’ As people did soul searching, we see that we are descendents of Spanish-speaking people. The conclusion is that they are interchangeable. You could identify with both. I think we put it to bed.”

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Today, as mobile technology puts computers in our pockets, Latinos and blacks are more likely than the general population to access the Web by cellular phones, and they use their phones more often to do more things.

But now some see a new “digital divide” emerging — with Latinos and blacks being challenged by more, not less, access to technology.

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WASHINGTON DC – The new electoral map that emerged from the 2010 US census favors Hispanics, the largest US minority group, as some states in which they live will win more representation in Congress, a study found Wednesday.

States with growing populations such as Texas and Florida will pick up extra congressional seats, while some northern states such as Ohio and Iowa are set to lose seats under a redistricting system ahead of the 2012 elections.

The study by the Pew Hispanic Center found that Hispanic voters are almost three times more numerous in those states that will pick up congressional seats and electoral college votes, than in states that will have to shed seats.

While 15.2 percent of eligible voters — those US citizens over 18 — are Hispanics in states that increased their political influence, they account for only 5.4 percent of the electorate in states that lost electoral heft, it said.

For example, Florida will pick up two seats and Nevada will gain one; both are states that played an important role in the 2008 presidential vote and in the November mid-term elections.

The 2010 census — a national one is held once every 10 years — counted 308 million Americans, up nine percent from a decade earlier. More than 51 percent of the growth was among Hispanics.

Of the 48.4 million Hispanics, 20.1 million are currently eligible to vote.

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NEW YORK: Mexican media giant Grupo Televisa has completed its investment in Univision, which was first announced in October, as well as expanded and extended its programming licensing agreement with the U.S. Hispanic broadcaster.

As previously announced, Grupo Televisa has invested $1.2 billion in Univision Communications for a 5-percent equity stake and debentures convertible into an additional 30-percent equity stake in the future. Televisa also secured the option to acquire an additional 5-percent equity stake.

The expanded program licensing agreement grants Univision an enhanced portfolio of exclusive U.S. Spanish-language broadcast rights, as well as exclusive U.S. Spanish-language digital rights to Televisa programming.

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Hispanics may have only recently become the official majority in California’s public school classrooms, but San Gabriel Valley and Whittier area schools have been watching that population shift take place for several years now.

And although some are now calling on school leaders to focus on these students to improve their chances of success in college or the workplace, area educators say they’ll keep working to get all students to the finish line – regardless of ethnicity.

“I think it’s always important to know who you’re teaching, as far as where they’re coming from and their background,” said Pasadena Unified School District board President Bob Harrison.

About 58 percent of PUSD’s 20,000-student enrollment in 2009-10 was Hispanic, according to state statistics.

That’s compared to the nearly 51 percent – or about 3.1 million – of California students who identified themselves as Hispanic in the 2009-10 school year, as reported by the California Department of Education last month.

By contrast, Hispanics made up about 37 percent of the state’s public school enrollment in the 1994-95 school year.

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