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A new research study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project has a surprising conclusion for those who worry that modern technology isolates people. It turns out that families with high rates of tech ownership and use are actually closer than their less-techie counterparts.
As noted by University of Toronto PhD candidate Tracy Kennedy, author of a new report about the survey called Networked Families, "Some analysts have worried that new technologies hurt family togetherness, but we see that technology allows for new kinds of connectedness built around cell phones and the Internet. Family members touch base with each frequently with their cell phones and they use those phones to coordinate family life on the fly during their busy lives.”
That statement is supported by the survey numbers, which found that 70% of couples in which both partners own a cell phone contact each other daily to say hello or chat, as compared to only 54% of couples who have one or no cell phones. Also, 42% of parents contact their child/children on a daily basis using a cell phone, making mobiles the most popular communications tool between parents and children.
These findings are nicely illuminated by a series the Globe and Mail is currently running which is reprinting many of the hundreds of letters David K. Hazzard wrote to his wife after shipping off to fight in the Second World War. His letters to Audrey, her responses and the many communications difficulties imposed by the war illustrate how dramatically inter-personal communication has changed since the advent of digital technology.
So pause today to e-mail or text a loved one, or give your kid a call after school. Those little bits of communication will make your relationship stronger.
Peter Wolchak
Posted October 23, 2008
Categories:
Social Networking
Wireless
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