¿Y Qué Tal la Línea? Transfronterizx Commuter Literacies at the Tijuana–San Diego Border Region

• In Event: Toward Literacies of Agency: Centering Transnational and Transfronterizx Communities and Their Knowledges

Abstract

Purpose & Significance: During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government imposed temporary travel restrictions at the México-U.S. border's Land Ports of Entry, affecting transfronterizx individuals whose livelihoods often depend on border crossings (Avalos and Moussawi, 2022). This study examines how transfronterizx commuters from the Tijuana-San Diego border region used Facebook groups to exchange real-time border traffic information while travel restrictions were in place. By employing digital ethnography, the author contributes new insights into how these commuters develop and deploy multimodal texts to engage digital (Lam & Rosario-Ramos, 2009) and spatial literacies (Mills & Comber, 2013); practices that enabled commuters to actively resist the increased surveillance at U.S. Land Ports of Entry.

Theoretical Framework: This paper employs two interconnected theoretical frameworks: multi-sited sensibility (Vossoughi & Gutiérrez, 2014) and transliteracies (Stornaiuolo et al., 2017). By integrating these frameworks, the author gains a comprehensive understanding of the diverse spaces – both digital and physical – that transfronterizx commuters navigate during their routine border-crossings. Moreover, it facilitates an appreciation of the fluid and mobile nature of transfronterizx literacies as they transcend border region spaces.

Methods and Data Sources: Using a digital ethnographic approach (Dalsgaard, 2016; Emerson et al., 2011), this 3-month study (February to May 2021) analyzed over 250 highly multimodal Facebook posts and comments, comprising written texts, pictures, videos, and live transmissions. Data analysis involved inductive coding using the observed data, analytic memos, and activity logs to understand and categorize the characteristics and functions of each post/comment.

Findings: This study adds to the growing literature on transfronterizx communities in the Tijuana-San Diego border region by offering a novel perspective on how transfronterizx commuters develop and deploy literacies of surveillance (Nuñez & Urrieta, 2021) to mitigate extensive wait times at U.S. Land Ports of Entry, which constitute temporal and psychological forms of punishment imposed by Customs and Border Protection (Avalos, 2022; Castañeda Pérez, 2022). Moreover, the study reveals the communal nature of transfronterizx Facebook groups (Avalos & Moussawi, 2022) and provides valuable insights into the literacy learning occurring within these digital spaces, particularly regarding the ways in which the observed multimodal texts shared in these groups serve as a significant resource for spatial literacy learning (i.e., the landscape and landmarks of the Tijuana-San Diego border region relevant to transfronterizx commuters). Spatial literacy, thus, plays a vital role in helping transfronterizx commuters mobilize digital literacies to identify border traffic initiation points and anticipate – and thereby mitigate – prolonged waiting times at U.S. Land Ports of Entries, which serves as a form of resistance against border surveillance.

Conclusion: Ultimately, this study demonstrates the affordances and possibilities of leveraging social media and digital ethnography to learn more about transfronterizx communities, their cultural practices, and their border region context.

Author

• Isaac Alejandro Felix, University of California - Berkeley