In our globalized world it’s increasingly common for families to be spread out, both within a country and further afield.  Maintaining a close bond can therefore be a challenge.

Whilst it seems something of a poor substitute, tools such as Skype can play a surprisingly positive role in keeping families close, at least according to a recent study that explored the topic in depth.

Connecting families

The study, conducted by UWA’s Professor Loretta Baldassar, suggests that the rise in mobile devices and apps is having a big impact on the emotional availability of families that are separated by distance.

“The study found that almost every family with access to Skype will use it,” the author says.

“And the latest trend is apps like WhatsApp, WeChat and others because of their ability to share information with a group of people simultaneously.”

Whilst such technologies don’t replace face to face time, they nonetheless allow migrant and isolated families to have a level of engagement with their distant family members that satisfies their needs.  What’s more, the paper also suggests that the devices facilitate new and dynamic relationships too.

They represent an important way for people who move a long way from the family home to stay in touch.  Whereas in the past a move to another country would largely mean leaving the family completely behind, the new tools allow a much more pleasing level of connectivity.

This is no longer the case, with technology allowing families much more control over when and how they stay in touch.

Such a finding is perhaps not particularly revolutionary, and may even be regarded as obvious, but with families increasingly separated by distance, it is nonetheless an interesting analysis of the communication tools we have available to shrink that distance.