Environmental Influences on Social Dynamics:

An Ethnographic Exploration

  • The project:

    Group project completed as part of a Design Ethnography course.

  • My role:

    I conducted ethnographic research in various locations through participant observation and immersive fieldwork. I then coded my notes using Taguette. The results were analyzed and we drew conclusions as a team.

  • Tools:

    =Taguette

    -Adobe Illustrator

The Problem

  • We are living in an era dominated by technological advancements.

    The interplay between environmental factors and social interactions in the presence of technology has become a topic of interest.

  • Environments encompass a broad spectrum of elements.

    These range from physical spaces and cultural contexts, to socio-economic conditions.

  • Parental technology use has the potential to shape family dynamics.

    Investigating how technology influences the quality and frequently of interactions between parents and their children is crucial for fostering meaningful connections within families.

THE QUESTION: How do environmental factors facilitate the dynamics of social interactions in the presence of technology? More specifically, how are parent-child interactions affected in the presence of technology?

What we found:

The use of technology can be affected depending on environmental factors.

    • Parental Technology Use: Environmental conditions, including weather and park crowdedness, influenced technology use. The inverse relationship between park busyness and technology adoption indicated priority of social engagement over screen-based interactions.

THE PROCESS

In recent years, the influence of parental technology use on child development has garnered increased attention from researchers. As digital devices integrate into daily routines, the environment in which families navigate these technological landscapes is of utmost importance. This research aims to contribute insights into the relationship between the environment where social interactions are taking place, and the use of technology among parents.

On a late October evening in Iowa, 60-degree days are not the norm. However, October 23, 2023, was an extraordinarily beautiful day. The sun was out, it wasn’t humid, and it was warm enough to not even need a jacket. "Today is very busy at the park. I wonder if parents know colder days are coming and try to be outside as much as possible...There are many young children at the park today and I notice that parents are more engaged than other days at the park. On multiple occasions try to look around for parents using their devices, but do not see a single phone. I do see one mother sitting at a picnic table, reading an actual book... Overall, parents were all extremely friendly and welcoming if my kids tried to play with their kids." This is just one example I observed of how environments can impact the use of technology within parks and libraries. I conducted my observations in Johnston, Iowa.

A few days earlier, on October 17, I arrived at the same park. It was a windy day, and the park was less busy than usual. I observed a father at one of the nearby picnic tables on his phone, rarely looking up. He has an elementary-aged son that regularly goes to check in with his dad. I also saw soccer practice going on at the field next to the park. There were four parents waiting for their kids to be done with practice. At one moment, I noticed all four of them looking down at their phones.

On another occasion, I visited a much smaller park to perform more field work. This park is located right off a bike trail. I frequently visit this park with my children, and it is rare to see many people there. Often, we are the only ones there. On this specific day, we arrived to an empty park. However, shortly after, a dad arrives walking on the trail with two children. Then, another dad arrived on a bike with two more small children in a bike trailer. The dads seem to know each other, and chat briefly at the bike rack as their children play. One transitions to sit on a bench, while the other looks at his phone. After a few minutes, he also moves to sit on the bench and neither of them are using their devices. After about 20 minutes, they both leave the park with their children.

Inside the Johnston library, technology use was more pronounced, with parents leveraging devices for various purposes, from taking photos with their phones to engaging with library resources on provided computers.  .