ABSTRACT
Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM), and particularly WhatsApp Messenger, has become a prime communication channel within the extended family in Israel. It allows family members to communicate easily. This chapter focuses on the implications of using MIM among family members, alongside the pros and cons of semantic network analysis in the field of mediated communication. The chapter includes two case studies: (1) analysis of the actual chat messages in WhatsApp groups of two extended families, and (2) analysis of the perceptions and uses of MIM based on in-depth interviews with three generations of women in Israeli families.
The findings show that WhatsApp is perceived as a useful and often preferable channel due to its variety of communication forms, including synchronous and asynchronous communication, and a major tool to coordinate family gatherings. Alongside this, when looking at the actual discourse among members, WhatsApp is mainly used as a phatic communication channel to project availability and presence while being absent. The conversations focus primarily on reproducing positive images of the family members with an emphasis on photo sharing.
mobile instant messaging, WhatsApp, phatic communication, family communication
