Complexity and Social Networks Blog

« Cambridge Colloquium on Complexity and Social Networks: Fall, 2008 | Main | The party after the campaign »

19 October 2008

Pew study: the connected American family

A just released Pew report, Networked Families (by Tracy Kennedy, Aaron Smith, Amy Tracy Wells, and Barry Wellman), may be of interest to some readers of the blog. To quote from the abstract:

The internet and cell phones have become central components of modern family life. Among all household types, the traditional nuclear family has the highest rate of technology usage and ownership.

The survey shows that these high rates of technology ownership affect family life. In particular, cell phones allow family members to stay more regularly in touch even when they are not physically together. Moreover, many members of married-with-children households view material online together.

Also, go to the Washington Post story.

The report is chock full of interesting data on how modern communication technologies have become integrated into the daily lives of American families. I am a bit concerned, however, about the interpretation that these technologies have actually improved communication within families. For example, respondents are asked whether the Internet has improved connections to family members/friends/etc, and given the choices a lot, some, only a little, not at all. It is problematic to interpret these particular results as supporting the proposition that the Internet has improved communication within families, because (1) no choices are given that the Internet has undermined connections, and, more important, (2) respondents are not in a position to construct a counterfactual. (At least, I can no more imagine what communication within my family would be like without the Internet than it would be without the automobile.) That is, I would be cautious in interpreting some of these results as supporting the proposition that the Internet, for example, really has improved communication within the family.

Interesting puzzle to me, in a question to adults (from p. 28) about whether the Internet and cell phones have made their families closer than their families when they grew up, 28% of families with cell phones and Internet in their households indicate that these technologies have made their families closer, but, oddly, 17% of families without either also indicate that these technologies have made their families closer. It is striking to me that there is not a bigger difference-- is this because of indirect access to these technologies (at school, work, through friends)?

Neat factoid from report (p. 24): women generally seem to communicate more with their children than men, but there is a particularly large gender gap in text messaging with children, with 28% of women reporting texting their kids, and only 12% of men. I am also surprised that as many as one in twenty five parents communicate with their children (age 7-17, so this includes many parents who don't have kids who are using these Facebook, etc) via social networking sites at least once a day. My oldest considers it scandalous that I am even on Facebook, and has flatly forbidden me from friending her....

Posted by David Lazer at October 19, 2008 10:30 PM

.
• Business (3)
.
• Citizen Relationship Management (17)
.
• Commentary (7)
.
• Complexity (2)
.
• Current Trends (47)
.
• eGovernment (21)
.
• Events/Announcements (73)
.
• Innovation (14)
.
• Internet (18)
.
• Knowledge Sharing (20)
.
• Methodology (32)
.
• Networked Governance (18)
.
• Networks in political science (5)
.
• PNG Working Paper Series (6)
.
• Powerlaws (4)
.
• Reviews (2)
.
• Simulations (1)
.
• Small group networks (3)
.
• Small Worlds (2)
.
• SN in the news (72)
.
• Social Capital (3)
.
• Social Computing (12)
.
• Social Finance (1)
.
• Social Networking Platforms (11)
.
• Social Psychology (2)
.
• Social Software (25)
.
• Societal Networks (40)
.
• Technology (35)