The transnational restructuring of communication and consumption practices: Latinos in the Urban settings of global cities

In the face of the processes of urban social stratification and the discriminatory press discourse of receiving nations, associations between immigrants and ethnic businesses began to emerge. In addition, communications mediums directed at recent immigrants came to constitute spaces for information, communication, and self-representation as well as spaces for consumption. The need to seek out new theoretical approaches and methodologies in the study of media and the city is now noted, and includes an analytical matrix that encompasses diverse interfaces such as consumption, identity, community, and action. Critical analysis from a postcolonial perspective helps us to understand how population flows follow capital flows, albeit in an inverse manner, while a networks and migratory chain viewpoint permits us to comprehend the reconfiguration of the ties within transnationalism. The critical studies that recognize the long road ahead for Latinos in terms of gaining greater access to education, healthcare, public services, and a general share in power constitute a counterweight to the influence of Latino communities.