ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the domestication of two communication technologies: television as an example of an older technology, and the Internet as a new, if not nascent one. Bringing media under the control of the family and developing norms, rules, and guidelines for its use is a kind of domestication process. As systems theory began to be applied to social systems, rather than to exclusively biological systems, it became apparent that social-system analysis may benefit from its use. The introduction of the telephone into the home, families have had to adapt to and integrate new technologies that have had both positive and negative effects on family communication, connectivity, and interpersonal dynamics. Empirical evidence on families and the Internet present contradictory results about whether families are connected to the Internet differ in their communication patterns from families who are not. On one hand, participation in online family discussions facilitates access to social networks that supply social support, advice, and guidance to families.
