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.

摘要

本文介绍了对芬兰五个波兰多文化和多语言家庭的研究，以及他们在数字化家庭沟通中的参与。通过对波兰移民母亲和儿童的应用内通信实践进行人种学调查，该研究为新媒体与传播，跨国家庭与移民研究以及家庭多语言研究的交汇处做出了贡献。该研究基于虚拟邻近度的概念，即通过数字技术和移动通信提供的个人之间的情感亲密性，该研究确定了参与者在数字栖息地实践中的四种主题模式：（i）创建家庭WhatsApp组的儿童机构，（ ii）使用家庭应用内交流进行语言学习，（iii）数字照护策略和安排，以及（iv）使用数字照片共享作为视觉共存的一种形式。儿童和母亲在数字媒体交流中的做法互不相同，但它们导致了数字栖息地中跨国家庭的形成。在这种情况下，通过数字方式实现虚拟亲密关系有助于实现实现远距离维持家庭的愿望。