1. The Impact of Technology on the Family

2. The Influence of Technology in the Home Mass culture - people of all social classes in Canada could participate in cultural activities e.g. radio, music records Electricity made family home more private but did not mean less work for women

3. Case Study: Satellite TV in Bhutan Follow Tibetan Buddist traditions Introduction of TV in 1999 - changed family customs & interaction Main concern is that young people will be distracted by romantic & sexual themes instead of traditional Buddhist themes such as repaying parents for kindness

4. Measuring the Impact of Computer Communication Technology 35.9% of Canadians use computer communication technology for home and work

5. Internet & the Family Canadians are becoming more computer & internet dependent Changes in the family dynamic as more time is spent on the computer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPbZ gJ5Ea8E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPbZ gJ5Ea8E

6. Transformation of Social Relationships No human contact, body language, eye contact No cues are available Also changes relationships within the family

7. Case Study: Information Technology & the Family Anthropologist - Dr. Jan English-Lueck studied families in Silicon Valley & the effect of technology on them “Infomated” Households - homes with at least 5 information technologies Revolve around work - both paid & unpaid These types of families were consumed with work Parents who worked 1) spent a lot of time thinking about their jobs, 2) brought a lot of work home, 3) many approached family life from a work perspective Therefore redefinition of the family, not a natural unit that simply exists, but rather one defined by action (this is not good or bad, but new).