Effects of Social Media on Family Relationships

Purpose: This study explored relationships of social media on communication within the family. Method: In a correlational design, the researcher in a snowball sample surveyed 158 adults who use social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter on their perceptions of daily communication in the family and social media use. Results: age was significantly related to perceptions of social media on family communication In a Pearson's correlation, age was negatively correlated with the statement "overall, I feel that social media/networking has negative effect on relationships with members of your household" (N = 158, r = -.227, p = .004); age was negatively correlated with "you are distracted by social media sites when interacting with household members" (N = 158, r = -.162, p = .042); age was negatively correlated with "the amount of time other family member's at home spend on social media sites bothers me" (N = 158, r = -.171, p = .032); and "overall, I feel that social media/networking has a negative effect on relationships with members of your household" was positively correlated with "social networking effects the communication between members of my family" (N = 158, r = .354, p = .000). No significant relationships were found between gender, ethnicity, educational attainment or employment status and social media use in family relationships or between age and "social media is more rewarding than talking directly with family members", "members of my family experience other members as rude or avoiding contact when they are focused on social media and not live conversations" or "how often do you use social media in front of family?". Discussion: The findings of this study suggest that younger adults, compared to older adults, perceive social media as having mostly a positive, yet nuanced, effect on their family and family interaction.