Virtual Proximity and Transnational Familyhood: A Case Study of the Digital Communication Practices of Poles Living in Finland

Autor/in	Kedra, Joanna
Titel	Virtual Proximity and Transnational Familyhood: A Case Study of the Digital Communication Practices of Poles Living in Finland
Quelle	In: Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 42 (2021) 5, S.462-474 (13 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0143-4632
DOI	10.1080/01434632.2020.1839084
Schlagwörter	Family Relationship; Multilingualism; Cultural Pluralism; Computer Mediated Communication; Computer Software; Language Usage; Immigration; Polish; Ethnography; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Proximity; Photography; Mothers; Parent Child Relationship; Foreign Countries; Children; French; Finno Ugric Languages; Intercultural Communication; English (Second Language); Participant Characteristics; Finland + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Mehrsprachigkeit; Multilingualismus; Kulturpluralismus; Computerkonferenz; Sprachgebrauch; Polnisch; Ethnografie; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Lebensnähe; Fotografie; Mother; Mutter; Parents-child relationship; Parent-child-relation; Parent-child relationship; Eltern-Kind-Beziehung; Ausland; Child; Kind; Kinder; Französisch; Interkulturelle Kommunikation; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Finnland
Abstract	The article presents a study of five Polish multicultural and multilingual families in Finland, and their engagement in digitally mediated family communication. Explored through an ethnographic inquiry into the in-app communication practices of Polish migrant mothers and children, the study contributes to the body of research at the intersection of new media and communication, transnational family and migration studies, and family multilingualism. Building on the concept of virtual proximity, which refers to the emotional closeness between individuals afforded by digital technologies and mobile communication, the study identifies four thematic patterns in participants' practices in digital habitats: (i) children's agency in creating family WhatsApp groups, (ii) the use of family in-app communication for language learning purposes, (iii) digital caregiving strategies and arrangements, and (iv) the use of digital photo-sharing as a form of visual co-presence. Children's and mothers' practices in digitally mediated communication differ from each other, but they lead to the formation of transnational familyhood in digital habitats. In this context, achieving virtual proximity by digital means helps to fulfil aspirations to remain a family across distance. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01