Galatasaray İletişim Dergisi, cilt.31, sa.2, ss.137-167, 2019 (Hakemli Dergi)
Widespread use of internet and mobilization of digital means
of communication came with several transformations in the social
structure. One of the most important transformations in this sense
is individuals, starting to participate in digital communication by utilizing digital communication tools. As digital content, generated in
these media are shared and popularised, readers with access to
this content come up with new information or suggestions, which
are related to their parenting roles and can make use of said content according to their needs. In this regard, investigating the digital
transformation of the communication of parents with each other, as
well as that with their children based on the mothering role, which
is not independent of the cultural codes of social structure, is considered to be important. Since motherhood is not only an act of
giving birth, but also a social role with cultural implications attached;
revealing the differentiation in individual tendencies to use digital
communication media according to the mothering model they adopt
is also important. To that end, this study aims to investigate maternity roles and how women, who assume this role participate in
digital communication processes, thus understanding the cultural
transformation, which is also a by-product of digital communication
process. In line with this objective, semi-structured face-to-face interviews were carried out with 16 mothers, who adopted 2 different
mothering roles (gendered talent/conscious collaboration). Consequently, the study found that the age range of children is a determinant in the way, in which mothers use digital communication tools,
and women, who adopt mothering as collaboration, use both their
social media accounts and mobile applications more actively, compared to women, who assume the other mothering role. This study is thought
to carry significance in terms of evaluating women’s practices, which are categorized as ‘motherhood models’, based on the duties and responsibilities that
are shouldered within the family, over involvement in and utilization of digital
communication settings.