Cumbio, or why we need to teach about digital tools

Reading a New York Times article recently, I discovered the fascinating case of Cumbio, a young flogger from Argentina. She has become a major web celebrity in Argentina as the face of a very large group of young people who flog (photo blog) their lives.

There are wonderful elements to her story - she is an 'out' lesbian teen (and therefore an inspiring symbol to many), she is normal sized (in a culture that values being rail thing) and she is articulate about what and who she represents. She has commercialized her 36 million flog comments and views into mall appearances and advertising endorsements.

But the real reason this article rings a bell for me and reminds me why we need to teach about digital tools lies in one small quote about the movement/phenomenon.

Floggers are not “like hippies or punks, who had ideals of fighting to change the world,” said María José Hooft, who wrote a book, “Tribus Urbanas,” on youth subcultures in Argentina. “Floggers don’t want to change the world. They want to survive, and they want to have the best possible time they can.”

There is obviously a lot more potential for a tool like this and as a teacher, I would like to be part of helping my students find it.