The role of communication technology across the life course

A field guide to social support in East York

Bibliographic Data

ID2922294
AuthorsAnabel Quan-Haase (0000-0002-2560-6709, Department of Sociology, Western University, London, Canada), Molly-Gloria Harper (0000-0001-7928-5341, Department of Sociology, Western University, London, Canada), B Wellman (0000-0001-6340-8837, NetLab Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada), Barry Wellmnan (University of Toronto)
Year2021
Volume38
Issue12
Pages3497-3517
Publication date2021-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Social and Personal Relationships (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0265-4075 • E-ISSN: 1460-3608
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/02654075211056898
PMID35431394
OpenAlexW3204399962
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited44

This paper builds on a body of work over the decades that examines how East Yorkers give and receive support. We go beyond the earlier work taking into consideration communication technologies and how they play a role in the ways people exchange social support across the life course. We draw on 101 in-depth interviews conducted in 2013-2014 to shed light on the support networks of a sample of East York residents and discern the role of communication technologies in the exchange of different types of social support across age groups. Our findings show that not much has changed since the 1960s in terms of the social ties that our sample of East Yorkers have, and the types of support mobilized via social networks: companionship, small and large services, emotional aid, and financial support. What has changed is how communication technologies interweave in complex ways with different types of social ties (partners, siblings, friends, etc.) to mobilize social support. We found that communication technologies helped siblings and extended kin to increase the frequency of interaction and help exchange support at a distance. Communication technologies helped solidify friendship ties by providing a continuous flow of interaction. We draw implications for theories of social support and for social policy associated with interventions aimed at helping vulnerable groups cope in hard times such as the COVID-19 pandemic

Field (mathematics · Friendship · Interpersonal ties · Political science · Psychological intervention · Public relations · Sample (material · Social exchange theory · Social support · Sociology · Community Health and Development · Health disparities and outcomes · Innovative Approaches in Technology and Social Development · Psychology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access