A noticeable contributor to the concept of a changing Samoan self is located in the rise of technological advancements in Samoa, as in the rest of the world. The use of mobile
132 telephones by youth, the internet, and developments in computer technologies are examples of some of the technology influences that have become prominent in Samoa which connect Samoans more with the rest of the world. There are many positives of such advancements as well as challenges, as expressed by parishioner Ane:
[Orig.] Ua vave suiga ma mea faapena, and I think ua vave ai ma le malamalama o tamaiti. I mean for me, I knew how to use a computer when I was 7th form. My kids know how to use it now and they are only 10 and 9 [years of age], a. Ua matuā ā vave le technology. I guess ua telē atu, ua atili atu ai ona telē ma le responsibility a mātua to look out for that, a. Ia autilotilo totoa i mea ia, because e i ai isi tamaiti at that age ua feoai ma telefoni. You see problems caused by technology now, a, that didn’t exist back then. So I guess la ua faaopoopoina ai leisi responsibility i mea na, but it all comes down to the individual person and how they manage it with their children.
[Trans.] Changes have been fast and things like that, and I think the children pick up their knowledge fast as well. I mean for me, I knew how to use a computer when I was 7th form. My kids know how to use it now and they are only 10 and 9 [years of age], a. The technology is quite fast. I guess there is more technology now that has meant an increased responsibility of parents to look out for that, aye. We need to really look at these [technological advances] because there are children at that age that walk around with mobile phones. You see problems caused by technology now, ah, that didn’t exist back then. So I guess it has become an added responsibility for those things, but it all comes down to the individual person and how they manage it with their children. (Ane) Accompanying advances in technology is an increasing need for parents to manage these kind of changes making their way into Samoa. However as Ane continued to express, because of societal changes and changes in the practices of Samoans, socialising for parents today has utilised available technologies to replace family-time:
133 [Orig.] O isi matua e manava ō sa’o ō, a. They go with their mates, they drink. Kids are watching their TV and that, their entertainment, their Xbox, leave them at home with the babysitter. O isi a aiga ua matuā taape a; ua leai a.
[Trans.] Some parents once they finish work they go straight out. They go with their mates, they drink. Kids are watching their TV and that, their entertainment, their Xbox, leave them at home with the babysitter. Some families have totally broken up; there is no more family. (Ane)
Ane suggests that technology has taken on the role as pacifier for some families. In addition, because many Samoan households have shifted from being multi- generational to consisting of a couple and their children, minders for children are now being sought.
Many participants shared a similar view about many Samoan youth using mobile phone technologies. Parishioner Palemia shared that the use of mobile phones has become common in Samoan schools both at the secondary and tertiary levels:
[Orig.] Ia o leisi tulaga, o le mea lea o le telefoni. I aso ia, atonu e maua a tamaiti fai telefoni taitasi tailua. Ia o nei taimi ou te iloa ai e leai ma se tamaiti i totonu o aoga e leai se telefoni. Vagana ai se tamaiti ua leiloa lana telefoni. A o tamaiti uma a ia, e tele foi o le taimi vaai o punonou, a lē o faia ai ni taaloga, poo la e fai text, poo la foi e fai ni meaaoga e fa’aaoga ai le telefoni.
[Trans.] Another change is mobile phones. In those days you get one or two young people with a mobile phone. These days, I don’t think there are students in school that do not have a phone. Except for those who have lost their mobile phone. But all these students, most of the time you see them head bowed either its games they are playing, or texting, or they are even doing school work using their phones. (Palemia, young adult man, parishioner)
134 The technological advances in Samoa are great for the many benefits that they offer, suggests Palemia. However, when some of these tools like mobile phones are used as distractions rather than for the ease of communication they were intended, then participants suggest there are disruptions to a way of life that Samoans were previously accustomed to. Technological advancement in Samoa thus can be seen as contributing to the concept of a changing Samoan self. It is important to understand these changes, and the influence of technology advances for Samoans, so to conceptualise how contemporary pastoral counselling practices can allow for such advancements.