Digital Media versus Human Communicativity: the Emotional and Family Communication Dimension

Abstract

The media’s permeation into the human ecosystem has adjusted the hitherto traditional relationship with digital spatiality, time, culture and human communication. This paper identified the interconnectivity between the concepts of digital spatiality, time, culture, human communication and divorce rate by critically appraising their impact with a focus on the family, being the microcosm of society. Through Emotional Intelligence Theory, this paper indicated emotional connections as the object and subject of digital spatiality, time, culture, and human communication. This is relevant at this period that the media has permeated our social system and ecology. This paper deployed textual and conceptual content analyses to unearth finding on the topic. Findings showed that technology grows exponentially through time and cultures, easing communication. However, divorce rates are also exponentially higher through time and cultures despite the ease in communication via technological innovations. Therefore, this study is significant at this time of new media challenges in family communication. Also, in the aspects of self-disclosure and applying emotional intelligence for human communicativity online and trans-culturally. Further research and integration of emotional intelligence in communication innovations in homes, relationships, and the entire human existence should be further explored based on the findings.

Keywords: Family-Communication, New media, Emotional Intelligence, Self-Disclosure, Human-Communication

DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/96-06

Publication date:May 31^st 2021