Introduction
Family relationships is regarded as one of the important glues that keep the entire society together, it is traditionally known as the key holders of social cohesion. Over years, changes such social developments, education, industrialization and spatial mobility have had major revolution on the position of family as an entity of the society. Many family issues have emerged and are subject of ongoing frequent global debates, particularly the effect of media on its cohesion. Social scientists havestruggledto come up with various explanations on distinct changes of on these family relationships as a result of media and their entire potential effects to the society.
Since time immemorial, the family relationship has been regarded as an important institution on which norms and values are transferred, where the foundations for the future generation are laid, and where care and support for various needs of individuals is provided. The first entity referred as nuclear family is regarded as the position where individual family members share their private domain to one another. Studies showthat these relationships can be altered by various structural developments such as, media and subsequent modernization.
Family solidarity
Over the past decades, family relationship have undergone a relay of changes, the media have exposed this individuals to a greater percentage resulting in reasonable respect and equality as compared to the way they were handled in the past. The personal family member interaction is now more intimate phenomena, the media have taught the parents to fully recognize and fulfill the physiological needs of the children (De Regt, 31). The slopes of the parent-child relationship have been reduced to become both less authoritarian and hierarchical. The media have inducted the parents and children to have cordial relationship, thereby acquiring a unique content. This has resulted from interestingmedia developments such as creating digital projects together such video/ digital cameras and other editing software’s, thereby transferring these important skillsto from parents to children.
Improvement of welfare and standard of living
The cognitive developmentcapacities of the family members have been improved by Media gargets such as television. This is through the television games that family members are exposed to. While playing, an active imagination is necessarythus improving their aspects such as language acquisition, socializing and their general family life perception. The media gadgets such as phones have made family entity together to enjoy the extensive net benefits that sole bread providers in far locations can offer to the less privileged. This has improved the link on family formation and their social economic circumstances.
Media use in intergeneration interaction
Relevant literatures have indicated the use of various media on intergenerational relationship. Social network sites have resulted in new media engagement among family members. Parents and siblings are now able to fully use media to hang out. Studies shows that 35% of American families are using the computer to play computer and video games with their children, these games are considered as a common pool to bring the intergenerational relationship together.Televisions have been successfully used to exposé the rich and diverse culture of the ancient generation to the new era generation.
Negative impacts of media on family relationship
Unlike the above positive impacts provided by the media, the media-centric engagements such as experimentation and exploration have resulted in various negative implications as shown below.
Online sexual soliciting
Texting/sexting is one of the powerful tools of communication media that have been used irresponsibly to result in unbearable consequences in families. Itrefers to expose of unwanted online sexual exhibitions that are always posted by several media types such as television, and internet. This induce the sexual knowledge on the minors in the families depriving them their precious innocence. In cases where there is poor family relationships, texting have been used to bully or humiliate partners by sending aggressive messages which have resulted on several family stress.
Erosion of culture
Media though an integral part of every family, it has made the family to lose most of its historical functions; these include the survival and welfare functions which are broadly covered within the societal context. These factors includes; social-cultural, social-economical and social-biological. The quality of life families undertake today is majorly by the media. For example celebrations and traditional rituals such as anniversary, birthdays, and holidays have been replaced by the modern media sports, games and special media events that always occur simultaneously. Consequently media programmes such a soap operas have been used as an avoidance mechanism to confronting various issues affecting manyfamilies .
Conclusion
The notion of networked media offers a strong framework of diverse strong family relationship in their broad social structure. Concurrently, moderate exposure and positive consumption of the media by every family member will lead to regain of better times and stronger family bonds and values. Therefore, it is the role of the entire society members to implement smart strategies to control the harmful effects of the media.
Works Cited
America, Child Welfare League. "Engaging Familise in Child Welfare Services." An evidence Based Approach to Best Practice. (2002): pp. 12-32.
Bell, K. and Smerdon, M. "Deep Value: A literature Review of the Role of Effective Relationship in Public Service." Community Links (2011): pp. 20-34.
Day, C. The Family Partnership ModeL: Amethod and a Means. Suoth London: Maudsley NHS Trust, 2008. pp.45-60
