Networking Families

Networking Families takes a critical psychological perspective to examining the phenomenon of social media practices through the lens of gender and relationships. Efforts to explore and conceptualise families’ routine engagement in digital spaces have, notably, been marked by negative characterisation in both academic and popular arenas. For example, young women’s online selfie posting practices are typically understood as an expression of digital narcissism. Parents’ posting of child and family focused content, for instance, has been dominantly described using the term ‘sharenting’ – a pejorative term focusing on parental oversharing on social media. While research in these areas is burgeoning, much less has been said about positive engagements or how digital technological practices can support or translate into family relationships more generally.