Abstract

Family communication is examined from the perspective of technology and the kinds of effects it can have. Families are defined and analyzed in terms of their communication styles. Technology is explained as an affordance of family communication and examples of tech's ability to maintain family communication are described. Barriers to family communication caused by technology are also considered, as is the cultural impact on families when electronically-mediated communication (EMC) is used to communicate between family members in other countries. Finally, predictions for family communication and technology in the future are considered.