From “connected presence” to “panoptic presence”: Reframing the parent–child relationship on mobile instant messaging uses in the Chinese translocal context

Abstract

In the high-speed translocal social setting, intergenerational solidarity is arguably weakening in Chinese society. The proposed study adopts an interactionist perspective, using semistructured interviews as well as communicative behavior records provided by interviewees to analyze the interactions between young adults and their geographically distant parents through a mobile instant messaging (MIM) service application. Taking WeChat as a case, this study focuses specifically on the use of MIM to manage and maintain parent–child relationships in a translocal context. Findings confirm the interaction patterns of “connected presence” and further suggest an emerging “panoptic-presence” consciousness among the young adults, leading to a performative mode of interaction with their parents. Meanwhile, though individualism prevails among the younger generation, family values and norms rooted in traditional Chinese culture are found to be both explicitly and implicitly practiced. Limitations and future directions are also discussed.

Keywords

connected presence mobile instant messaging panoptic presence relational interaction Chinese translocal family

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