How digital technologies become embedded in family life across generations: scoping the agenda for researching ‘platformised relationality’

Abstract

This article advances the unfolding research agenda on families, relationships and societies in the so-called ‘platform society’ by applying both a relational lens and a multigenerational approach. Our scoping review of the multidisciplinary research literature revealed two main themes linking relationality and digital platforms: (1) the intensification of connectedness, especially in relation to intimacy, belonging and care, and (2) power struggles and conflicts in a context of interdependency and vulnerability. The studies identified suggest that relationality is transformed rather than interrupted through the emergence of new platformed practices as well as the reconfiguration of existing ones. Hence we propose an emphasis on ‘platformised relationality’, and call for greater specificity in the analysis of platform affordances in future research on families’ engagement with digital platforms, as well as greater attention to family relationships beyond the often-studied parent–child relationship.