Luckily, my cousin doesn’t have to worry about being too harsh on our aunt because it seems like Whatsapp is cracking down on tías everywhere: The Facebook-owned app recently decided to put a cap on message forwarding amid a wildfire spread of COVID-19 misinformation. In times of crisis, we are made hyper-aware of the never-ending family reunion glowing green and blue inside our pockets. Family group chats are a complete lotería deck that includes the Whatsapp Doctor, The English-Only Cousin, The Spanish-Only Abuela, The Church Selfie Tía, The Homophobic Suegro, The Millennial Crusader, and so many more. But through good times and bad, the group chat is often all a Latinx family has to stay connected.
How Group Chats Are Keeping Latinx Families Connected
