Summary of Key Principles

Networked Families

The increasingly ubiquitous nature of ICTs is embedded in the lives of networked families. No family is an island, and no house is a castle. They are multiply networked. People network as individuals rather than within solidary family groups.

Households have also become smaller.  Households have become less stable in their composition. Part of this is attributed to women having fewer children.  Fewer Americans between 30-44 age are married than before.

Family roles have changed, driven by the rise in the percentage of women who work outside their homes and the smaller number of children in the household. In most married couples, both wives and husbands go out to do paid work. The growth of computer-based work allows both men and women to spend more hours doing paid work than in the previous generation.

The Internet is regarded as a positive tool to help families cope with single parenthood, time-use challenges, or structured activities for their children.  Time-use analysis shows a good fit between less television watching and more internet use.

Networked families use ICTs to keep their family together. Married couples with children stand out for owning more technology. Part of the reason is that these are the largest households. The more people in households, the more coordination and communication they need. Networked households are working harder to keep in touch than households of the previous generation did. Spouse use many different media to stay in touch with each other throughout the day. Those with children stay in touch more often than those without children. Teen are usually the most active networkers in households, especially girls. J Texting is an emblematic activity for networked individuals, especially teens.

People use ICTs to support, supplement, and enhance face-to-face interaction with family members.  They shared online activities are shaped by common interests, household needs, and talking to family members.

People use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to bridge barriers of time and space, weakening the boundaries between public and private living spaces. People have less face time, but more connected time, using mobile phones and the internet.