The Role of Information and Communication Technologies in Family Dynamics: Difference Between Parents and Children

1. Introduction

The rapid penetration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) gives people an enriched experience in various aspects of daily life such as education, work, consumption of goods, entertainment, etc. It provides them with on-demand access to any information and also entertains them easily (Kelly Garrett, 2006). It has now grown to take place among the essential requirements of a modern human being along the lines of food, shelter, and clothing. Technology is used for communication in most homes (Subrahmanyam & Greenfield, 2008) and it has become one of the family members (Johnson, 2010). Initially, the developments of technologies are focused on improving entertainment experiences in homes. (Huisman et al., 2012). But with the emergence and integration of new communication technologies such as computers, internet, mobile phones (Lanigan, 2009), social media and other digital media applications, domestic life of people are occupied by more technical devices (Huisman et al., 2012) and the changes in the routine practices occurs among various family members. So this research aims to understand how ICT influences the various practices of family members.