This book provides a comprehensive review of how digital communication technology can help
families network and communicate across generations despite differences in family composition
residential location cultural values and orientations. Covering the full spectrum of
intergenerational relations (including child to parent and parent to grandparent) it offers a
positive view of the value of digital technology usage within families. The author focuses on
three European countries: Finland Italy and Slovenia but also touches on other European
countries and parts of the United States revealing evidence that challenges ideas of universal
adoption of information communication technology (ICT) and consistency in the social effects of
such adoption in different regions and cultures. Further the book discusses numerous other
challenges and issues such as: ¿ the social transformations and technological developments
that have made digital families possible ¿ the resulting changes in family roles
responsibilities and practices and¿ the theoretical and conceptual implications of digital
communication-technology use in families. The author illustrates how ICT can facilitate family
solidarity and how it helps to provide new ways of being together and they discuss how social
media particularly instant messaging applications helps develop affinity between family
members better than traditional one-to-one personal communication tools. Combining highly
nuanced material with fresh sociological thinking it enhances readers¿ theoretical
understanding of the meaning of the ¿digital family¿ making it a powerful resource for
graduate and undergraduate students as well as academics. Thanks to its structured format with
easy-to-understand explanations it appeals to practitioners and researchers alike.
