Mobile mutuality of being: WhatsApp and kinship at the top of the world

Abstract

Digital technologies have become ubiquitous infrastructures worldwide, with WhatsApp emerging as one of the most widely used apps, particularly in the Global South. However, its integration into rural and Indigenous contexts in Latin America remains relatively unexplored. The Jujuy Puna, situated in Northwest Argentina and home to Quechua communities, recently gained internet connectivity through state initiatives. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in two villages, Cusi Cusi and Lagunillas del Farallón, this paper examines the use of WhatsApp in these communities. Furthermore, it investigates the intricate dynamics of WhatsApp usage within the realms of kinship and caregiving. To comprehend this phenomenon, we mobilize the concept of kinship to encompass and explain the myriad practices through which individuals in these villages establish connections and preserve a sense of collectivity using digital technologies like WhatsApp.