Supporting the Complex Social Lives of New Parents

Toombs, Austin, Morrissey, Kellie, Gray, Colin, Simpson, Emma, Vines, John and Balaam, Madeline (2018) Supporting the Complex Social Lives of New Parents. In: CHI 2018 - 2018 ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 21st - 26th April 2018, Montreal, Canada.

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Abstract

One of the many challenges of becoming a parent is the shift in one’s social life. As HCI researchers have begun to investigate the intersection of sociotechnical system design and parenthood, they have also sought to understand how parents’ social lives can be best supported. We build on these strands of research through a qualitative study with new parents regarding the role of digital technologies in their social lives as they transition to parenthood. We demonstrate how sociotechnical systems are entangled in the ways new parents manage their relationships, build (or resist building) new friendships and ad hoc support systems, and navigate the vulnerabilities of parenthood. We discuss how systems designed for new parents can better support the vulnerabilities they internalize, the diverse friendships they desire, and the logistical challenges they experience. We conclude with recommendations for future design and research in this area.

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Uncontrolled Keywords: Parenthood; motherhood; fatherhood; new parents; vulnerability; implicit care; interpersonal relationships; social connection; care work
Subjects: C800 Psychology
G500 Information Systems
W200 Design studies
Department: Faculties > Arts, Design and Social Sciences > Design
Depositing User: Paul Burns
Date Deposited: 06 Apr 2018 12:03
Last Modified: 01 Aug 2021 09:35
URI: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/33920

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