Welcome back to Living Family History’s two-part blog on how to improve familial connections via social media! In part one, we took the opportunity to discuss how our current cultural climate has led a lot of people to withdraw from popular social media platforms altogether. The politically charged environment is simply too “toxic” for some folks, which is certainly understandable. What’s more, there’s the problematic issues of data mining, privacy, and clickbait, not to mention being inundated with annoying ads.
Hence, we introduced Living Family History, a private and convenient way to connect with your family while you preserve memories of those both living and deceased. We then wrapped up the post by pointing out that a Brigham Young University study found that teenagers who connect with family through social media will typically feel closer to family in real life. In part two, we will dissect that idea in a bit more detail, because we think there is more to growing familial connections than simply following your broody teenager on Twitter and Instagram!
So if you are interested in learning more about the best ways to encourage your family to connect through social media, whether that platform be Living Family History’s or otherwise, by all means read on!
The Benefits Of Familial Social Media Connection
As we mentioned, adolescents who connect with their families through social media will feel more connected to them in general. But there are more benefits than just the general feeling. More specifically:
- Seeing another side of your family – This might not always be a pleasant experience (don’t say we didn’t warn you!) but being able to see your teenager post and interact more freely is a great way to get know them from a different angle. You might see them discuss things that are bothering them which you’d otherwise have no idea about!
- Communicating more freely – Face to face interactions are pretty difficult these days, what with everyone being on their phone 24/7. So if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! Using social media to communicate, however brief or rare it is, can help you form connections.
- Being there as support – We’ll continue being blunt; your moody teenager might not always appreciate you interacting with their every online move, so we’d recommend feeling out a safe, respectful distance if you really want to connect with them. However, there’s nothing wrong with letting them know you are there if they need you. Try more subtle, low-key ways of showing your love by perhaps liking or sharing their posts — again, when appropriate.
Tips For Parents
We touched on a few parental guidelines for interacting with your young family members online. But whether you are focused on your own children or growing the connections of your extended family, social media etiquette is largely the same. Don’t embarrass anyone, you can monitor activity without commenting or drawing attention to yourself every time, and most of all, don’t be afraid to be yourself and have fun! Yes, it’s a new environment and you want to be respectful of your family members, but don’t forget to enjoy yourself while you are at it.
Consider Living Family History
There is a lot that goes into improving familial connections through social media. Though we’ve devoted two whole blogs on the topic, we are probably just scratching the surface. That being said, we want to remind you that we offer a private social media, with media storage and private communication for the entire family. Learn more about LFH and our private digital space — the perfect place for families to connect, share memories, digitally scrapbook, and grow closer together!