It's an average night when I get a text message involving a cat picture from my brother-in-law. The long-running groupchat between me, my sister, and him is a source of laughter for the three of us as we exchange jokes and check in with each other. This form of media, moving past basic texting to the somewhat more open format of the groupchat has given me the opportunity to communicate with my sister and her husband in a way that feels like what we would be doing in real life if we weren't seven hundred miles away from each other.
New media can feel overwhelming and pervasive at times, but I think the active user will find that the benefits and downfalls all stem from how one chooses to use what is available to them. The active blogger will of course see the benefits of writing to an audience, the active facebooker will see the benefits of communicating with long distance friends and family, and so on.
In a family unit, new media will hurt or help in whichever ways it is allowed to. If a family wishes to communicate with the benefits of technology and new media, they can choose to do so. If they don't want that, they can choose to avoid it. I know many families whose communication is enhanced by their children's use of blogging and other social media methods. My sister recently started a blog about life as a newlywed, and it has allowed extended family members of both her and her husband to easily keep up with their life.
Naturally, new media can be detrimental to families when individual members use it as a way of isolating themselves from the rest of the family.
Ever heard the phrase "when life gives you lemons..."?
Well, when life gives you new media, you get to choose how to use it.
There are choices that we as individuals need to make with all the new media options. It can add value to our lives or it can destroy all that we cherish.
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