Australian families are using information and communication technologies for networking and
seeking support regarding family matters. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics
(ABS), 86 percent of all families now have access to the internet at home (ABS, 2016). This is
an increase of 83 percent from 2012-13 (ABS, 2016), virtually eliminating some of the social
and geographic barriers historically isolating many families. Electronic social networks can
now transmit social support traditionally only offered in face-to-face encounters (Bambina,
2007). In fact, an ethnographic turn is occurring whereby virtual communities are forming
online (Rouleau, de Rond, & Musca, 2014), as socially isolated parents living in urban
communities too (Drentea & Moren‐Cross, 2005) are turning to the internet to connect with
others. This shift to virtual ethnographies (Rouleau, de Rond, & Musca, 2014) introduces new
communication media for and barriers to the effective exchange and provisions of social and
informational support (Doty & Dworkin, 2014) via online access. Thus, research regarding
specific matters that families are investigating online through social networking and parental
experiences of online social media is warranted.
