Digitalization and changing family relationships: Communication, emotional connections, and care in contemporary society
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64171/JSRD.5.3.94-101Keywords:
Digitalization, Family relationships, Digital communication, Emotional connections, Family care, Intergenerational interaction, Digital technologyAbstract
Digitalization is changing the ways in which family members communicate, maintain emotional connections and provide care. Smartphones, social media, instant messaging and video-calling platforms have made it easier for family members to remain connected across physical distance and different daily routines. At the same time, greater reliance on digital technologies has raised concerns about reduced face-to-face interaction, divided attention, changing communication habits and differences in technology use across generations. This study provides a descriptive account of these changes by examining existing scholarly literature on digital family relationships. The review focuses on five areas: changing patterns of family communication, the use of digital technologies for maintaining emotional connections, changing practices of family care and support, the opportunities and challenges associated with digital family relationships, and differences in digital interactions across generations. The study finds that digital technologies have added new ways of staying connected, expressing care and providing emotional and practical support. However, their growing presence in family life can also create tensions when digital engagement reduces direct interaction or when family members have different communication preferences and levels of digital familiarity. The findings suggest that digitalization is not simply replacing traditional family interaction. Rather, it is adding new forms of communication, support and care to everyday family life. The way these technologies are used, particularly within different generational and family contexts, remains important in shaping the quality of family relationships.
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