(Dis)connected parenting: Context control and information management in single adoptive parents' social media practice

Mackenzie, Jai (2023) (Dis)connected parenting: Context control and information management in single adoptive parents' social media practice. Adoption & Fostering. ISSN 1740-469X (In Press)

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Abstract

This article considers how three UK-based single adoptive parents navigate a complex set of risks, benefits and limitations as they construct mutually beneficial connections, friendships and support networks online. The discussion draws on media scholarship suggesting that, in response to contemporary norms of constant connection, digital availability and online context ‘collapse’, many internet users appropriate the affordances of online platforms and technologies to maintain personal boundaries and keep social groups apart. As the case studies show, such tight context control can be particularly important for single adoptive parents, whose children are often vulnerable in multiple ways, who continue to face social stigma and misunderstanding, and for whom privacy can be vital to their families’ safety and wellbeing. The article offers some key recommendations for practitioners who work with single adoptive parents. It suggests, on the one hand, that practitioners can facilitate personalised, targeted support by signposting carers to appropriate digital sources, or by supporting parents to create and tailor their own social media networks. On the other hand, because of the complexities and pitfalls associated with such digitally mediated peer support, some caution is needed around the recommendations that are made, depending on individual families’ needs and circumstances.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	Faculty of of Arts, Society and Professional Studies > Department of Art and Humanities
Depositing User:	Ms Hazel Barham
Date Deposited:	12 Oct 2023 11:46
Last Modified:	16 Jan 2024 09:37
URI:	https://newman.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/17356

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