Connection in Transnational Families. Face-to-Face and Digital Spaces in Portuguese Emigrants

Abstract

AbstractThe use of new communication technologies promotes dynamics with presence between face-to-face and digital ways in transnational families. Relationships are perceived by migrants in these families as enriching, but also as points of contradiction and paradox. This study aims to explore, through the dimensions of the intergenerational solidarity (IS) model, how emigrants perceive the interaction with their parental figures in their country of origin and how the digital space impacts family dynamics. Using a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with young Portuguese adults emigrating in the European space (N = 22), and thematic analysis was performed under a constructivist perspective, with the support of the N-Vivo software. The results suggest the need to understand family cohesion in a continuum between solidarity-conflict-ambivalence and, above all, how family dynamics are altered by the challenges of transnational dynamics. It is important to consider the experience of family rituals in person and digitally. Digital communication mitigates differences and isolation, since it promotes more contact, leading to less cultural shock, which can promote more connection.