The increasing use of digital technology for interpersonal communication and for the storage of family archival material necessitates a deeper theoretical and empirical understanding of the interaction between social processes and digital technology. To that end, Moncur et al. examined the role of digital technologies during intimate relationship breakdowns.
The authors examined the “ecology” of technology surrounding the intimate relationship separation process, including email, social media, and Internet service providers (ISPs). They found that although the potential for positive experiences with digital technology is entirely possible, digital technologies fell far short of this goal.
The authors found, for example, that email was particularly popular, and particularly ill-suited, for facilitating communication among separating parties; social media was used to project false images of oneself to others, and exacerbated rather than reduced emotions related to announcing breakups; and ISPs did not have the tools to selectively separate digital assets across family members.
The authors used ethnographic methods to conduct in-depth interviews of eight adults in various stages of intimate relationship breakdown. The study revealed four recurrent themes: separation; change in social status; management of shared digital assets; and “moving on.”
Most significantly, the authors proved that 20-plus years into the Internet revolution, digital technologies are still in their infancy in terms of accommodating the complexity of human relationships. However, the authors are convincing in their belief that specific design improvements, as they have outlined in their study, can provide opportunities for improvement. This study is greatly useful for social scientists, ISPs, and designers of social media platforms.