Virtually Tsinoy: Performing and Negotiating Diasporic Hybridity Online

Author:

• Richie N. Hao (Southern Illinois Univ, Carbondale)

Abstract:

By using cyberethnography, I will examine how Tsinoy.com serves as an online space for Tsinoys (Chinese Filipinos), specifically exploring how Tsinoys perform and negotiate their diasporic hybrid identity through their understanding of "Tsinoyness," language use while online, and celebration of cultural traditions and practices. I will also look at the multiple tensions Tsinoy.com members face and how the Web site can, in fact, be an empowering exercise for Tsinoys online and in their everyday life.